Hot and Cold
by C.Queen
Summary: Being stranded in a storm with Bulma would never have been Vegeta's idea of fun. Then body heat came into play and things went from cold to hot pretty quick. Now that the snow's cleared can these two keep the fire between them burning or will it go out?
1. Cold

Disclaimer: As in all fics I own nothing but the plot and the original characters. Everything else belongs to someone else and if you didn't know that already that's sad lol. Anyway I hope you enjoy and review cause I look forward to hearing from you. 

Note: Sry about the ) but it's the only way I can divided the text into proper paragraphs. 

Cold 

Vegeta was outside contemplating whether to go to the work out area for some sparring with Bulma's inferior toys or get something to eat first when he heard his name being called in a rush, an edge of fear to it. Raising an eyebrow Vegeta got to his feet to watch Mrs. Briefs running towards him or trying to in heels. She looked distress and Vegeta wondered if there was a mouse in the house or perhaps a spider, both seemed to send human women into fits despite the size difference. Then again they were human, Vegeta expected no less then stupidity and weakness from them. "Something wrong?" Vegeta asked crossing his arms in front of his chest, hoping it was a spider and not a rodent as the rodent would take more of his valuable time up. 

"It's Bulma." Mrs. Briefs said as she rung her hands looking more distraught then Vegeta had first realized. "You know how's she's been away visiting her sick friend right? Well apparently there have been a lot of ice storms and blizzards in that area and anyway Bulma was coming home and I was talking to her and she was saying how the weather was really bad. Then I could hear alarms going off and her muttering about something being wrong and then the line just went dead." Mrs. Briefs said looking like she could burst into sobs at any moment which Vegeta hoped feverously would not happen. "I tried to call her back but I couldn't get an answer. She was suppose to drop in on a friend of the family to stay there till tomorrow since the weather was so bad but they just called to say she never showed up." 

) 

Processing what was important from her rambling Vegeta had to admit she had a valid reason for worrying. Bulma was an annoying and opinionated female but she wasn't a thoughtless one and had she been able to call her mother back she would have knowing how Mrs. Briefs would panic. Which would suggest the little idiot had landed herself into trouble..again. "Have you informed the authorities?" Vegeta asked, trying not to sneer too much when he said it since he had no faith in a human's ability to find their own car keys much less a human being. Grumbling under his breath about all the trouble the woman caused the people around her he was surprised people were always so quick to rush to her rescue. He'd be tempted to lave her there. 

"Yes but apparently the area she was in is suffering from a severe blizzard and it's impossible to go looking for her much less even confirm that she's still In the area. That's why I came to get you, I knew that if there was anyone on this earth who could save her it would be you or Goku." Mrs. Briefs said with a complete faith in her eyes that made Vegeta slightly uncomfortable. It was unnerving that she thought that he could find Bulma without any trouble, especially in the kind of weather she was talking about. Not that he couldn't do it of course, if he wanted to go find her he would and a lot faster then that idiot Goku. That monkey couldn't even find his tail if the fool had still had one, Vegeta thought sourly. "I haven't called Goku yet to see if he could do it but I'm sure he would..if you're too busy, Vegeta." Mrs. Briefs said, her eyes shining with tears as she looked at him with eyes designed to make you feel guilt as well as pity, two emotions Vegeta didn't often feel. 

Blinking under such a look Vegeta considered the pros and cons to going after Bulma. On the one hand she was an annoying pain in the ass and he'd been enjoying her not being around to bother him. Plus he was training and didn't have time for such a stupid interruption as finding the dumb idiot. Not to mention the fact that the girl could possibly be fine where ever she was and on her way making him going a waste of time and energy. But on the other hand he did need her to continue to make him training equipment and armor, plus if she did die her father might be too distraught to make the armor and gadgets in her place. Also if she really was in trouble and he saved her she'd be in his debt which was a most appealing thought indeed. It would indeed be a fine day to have that woman owing him something so valuable as her life. After all however worthless her life was to him others would likely care and if that wasn't enough of an incentive refusing would make it seem like he wasn't up it and then if Goku went..well there was no way he was going to let it be said that he feared to do something Goku had done. Grumbling for a good minute about the inconvenience Vegeta finally gave in knowing he was going to go after her. "I'll go, give me the coordinates." 

) 

Hours later 

Flying through snow was one of the most annoying things Vegeta had ever encountered. It was as if he were in an ice cold white room and it was impossible to see anything around him clearly. Mrs. Briefs had insisted on his bundling up which meant for the first half of the trip he'd been steaming in the heavy garments but now he was grateful and even considering thanking her once he got back. It wasn't likely but the fact that he was even thinking about it was telling. Luckily for everyone Bulma had installed a homing device for her little ship and left one of the trackers with her parents just in case. He was closing in on her position not that he could tell, Vegeta thought with a more then pissed off look on his face. She better appreciate this or he might well blow up her ship with her in it and use the excuse that it was like that when he found her. No one would dare question him about it. Well that idiot ex boyfriend of hers might but he'd been wanting to blow the idiot up for a while anyway. No great loss to the universe. In fact there were likely people who would thank him for putting the useless dog down. The beeper going off Vegeta descended and tried to land only to go through the snow and ended up waist deep in snow. Cursing a blue streak Vegeta blasted the area in front of him clearing a path which was filling up with snow already which only made him madder. Walking along nearly blindly Vegeta finally saw a flash of yellow and walking through the drifts since he couldn't risk accidentally blowing her up Vegeta finally hit solid metal. Feeling his way along Vegeta cursed when metal tore into his skin, indicating that the ship had been broken up at least a little causing jagged edges. Finding the door Vegeta felt out the door opener and opening it got into the ship, closing it behind him to find himself in utter darkness. Cursing Vegeta felt around as he walked then seeing a faint light walked into what was the sleeping area from the looks of it. There was a single black flashlight standing up on a table, illuminating a figure huddled in what appeared to be several blankets barely moving. "Woman, why the hell is it dark in here? Why isn't there any heat?" 

) 

When no answer came Vegeta marched over and lifted up the covers to yell at her for ignoring him but the words died in his mouth as he stared at the pale face before him. Her face was as white as the snow he'd been in and here lips were tinged blue which was not a good sign obviously. She appeared to still be conscious but she didn't look like that was going to be the case shortly. She seemed to be aware he was there but in too much shock or just too cold to speak. Frowning fiercely Vegeta felt a tinge of fear when he realized that this was serious and that the little idiot could actually be dying. Obviously the ship had been damaged enough that she hadn't even been able to get the heat and lighting back on or she had simply gotten too cold too fast to make a dent in the repairs. She needed to get some place warm and quick before she up and died on him. The fact that the idea of her actually really dying for real bothered him was something to be thought about later as he tried to figure out what to do. Obviously she couldn't stay in this place but where could he take her that wasn't just as bad? There was nothing but forest around them and he couldn't fly in this with her, it would be too risky and actually being outside would only kill her quicker. Pacing Vegeta stopped to wrap the blankets more tightly around her and tried to come up with a feasible plan. 

"Hit...mountain..didn't see it..till too late." Came a weak voice and Vegeta's head turned quickly as he stared in Bulma's direction at the barely understandable whisper of sound when the voice came again in the form of his name. "Vegeta?" 

"Yes I'm here." Vegeta said as he walked over to crouch down so that she could see his face, noticing that she seemed to have found the strength to at least speak a few words. Plus she actually looked happy to see him which was certainly a new experience since people were seldom happy to see him under any circumstances. She must know she's in rough shape to be glad to see him. Thinking about what she'd said Vegeta got an idea and reached out cupped her face in his hands to insure her attention. "How big is the mountain?" 

"Very..don't make fun." Bulma said after a moment thinking he'd asked so that he could make fun of the fact that she'd been stupid enough to not see a huge mass of rock in her way. But the weather had been so bad..and she was just so cold and couldn't help but be glad to see him. He was likely just a mirage or some other figment of her imagination but she didn't care, she felt better with him there whether he was real or not. Vegeta was strong, strong enough to get her out of this. 

) 

"Hmmm, I have a plan. Stay here and don't die before I get back." Vegeta ordered then standing up straight was shocked when one of her hands shot out to grab his and a faint voice begged him not to leave her alone. Feeling as though he'd just been blasted out of nowhere Vegeta stared at their joined hands then shook her loose though his voice was as close to nice as it would ever get in his opinion. "I'll be back. I give you my word, Bulma." Not reaching for his hand again Vegeta took that to mean she understood he was coming back and trusted him enough to do as he told her. Leaving the room Vegeta headed out the way he'd come and once he'd found the mountain and felt around to confirm that it was an actual mountain of considerable berth and height flew back to hover over the ground then concentrating his energy blew a fair sized hole into the mountain. Flying over to it Vegeta walked down his hole estimating it was around Piccolo's height which suited his purposes. Going to the very end Vegeta very, very carefully shot a hole up through the mountain and got out of the way as small pieces fell. Once they stopped falling Vegeta moved back over to look at the fist sized hole directly above him which went all the way to the top which would let in fresh air and give the smoke from the coming fires somewhere to go. Having created an adequate shelter now Vegeta headed back out and promptly blew several trees into thousands of pieces. Carrying stacked pieces into the hole Vegeta places the splintered remains into several piles that soon became small fires. Once they were going well enough that he was sure they wouldn't go out Vegeta headed back out to retrieve Bulma. Finding the ship with a lot less difficulty this time thankfully Vegeta entered the room to find her exactly as he'd left her which was startling since the woman never did what he told her to do. Picking her up in his arms Vegeta carried her out of the room, mildly concerned that she wasn't saying anything and that her breathing was hard to hear. Holding her close Vegeta got her into the hole as quick as possible and making his way to the back carefully deposited her in the middle of the room he'd created, surrounded on three sides by fires giving off heat. Leaving here there for a little bit longer Vegeta headed back to the ship to retrieve food, more blankets and some supplies. Using several of the larger pieces of lumber he shoved them in front of the hole as a type of barrier against the cold air coming in, using snow to pack the wood in place. Leaving that alone Vegeta walked back in to find still on the ground only she was visibly moving, shivering as her body tried to absorb the heat of the fire but couldn't do it quick enough. 

) 

Frowning over the fact that it was obvious things were not going well Vegeta walked over to sit beside him then gave a surprised yelp as he suddenly went flying backwards as she hurled herself against him, burrowed against him, Vegeta realized with a start as he sat up while she wrapped her ice cold hands around his waist. Seeking warmth, Vegeta thought with a flash of insight. Speaking of which all these layers would do her more good then him, Vegeta though as he forced her to let him go while he took stock of what she was wearing. She was dressed for the weather or at least ordinary snowy weather but not like this, certainly not without proper protection from the elements. Shedding his thick coat in a hurry Vegeta pulled the blankets off of her and forced her arms into the sleeves of his warm coat before pulling the blankets around her while he shed more layers till he was only in a thick wool sweater and pants. Looking down at her he saw that her color was getting a bit better. 

"Vegeta..you're really here..aren't you? You aren't...a..figment of my..imagination?" Bulma was finally able to ask weakly. When she'd thrown herself towards him it had been in joy that he'd come back, that he hadn't left her and when she'd encountered solid muscle and warmth, oh so much warmth it had been like heaven. She'd been thinking that she must have imagined him but this coat she was now wearing was real and it smelled like him. She had a hard time imagining Vegeta coming to anyone's rescue much less hers but it would appear he had and she'd never been so happy to see the grumpy Saiyan prince. "Are we..in a cave?" 

"In a matter of speaking and yes I'm here, idiot." Vegeta said as he dumped the pile of clothes in front of her then frowned when she made no move to put any on the layers on. "You need the warmth, woman now put them on." 

"I know..but my body..won't work." Bulma admitted as she just managed to tilt her head up to meet his gaze. "Think I'm almost..frozen solid." She added, trying to joke but it wasn't funny at all. She felt so weak and faint, like she wasn't completely there anymore. 

Not at all pleased with that answer Vegeta crouched down and placed a hand on her cheek which were as cold as ice and her hands were worse. The fires weren't producing enough heat and she needed to warm up fast. Humans were so weak, it was no wonder they were so easy to kill off. You didn't see him freezing to death did you? Then again he was a Saiyan and as such had a superior body and ability to channel his energy so that his body temperature..oh damn. Blinking Vegeta realized that since he couldn't risk building the fires any bigger and the clothes weren't doing their job fast enough there was really only one other method that would have guaranteed positive results. She needed his body heat. "I knew I should have left this to Goku." Vegeta grumbled even as he was sliding his shirt off since he knew skin to skin was the best way to go about it. Taking the second largest blanket he set it on the ground and spread it out, feeling Bulma watch him. 

) 

"Why did you..what are you doing?" Bulma asked as she watched him thinking he was extremely stupid to have taken his shirt off even if there were fires everywhere. Not that she could feel them so good but he probably could and even if he couldn't he'd probably say something like his body was so superior to hers that he didn't need to worry about such things as getting cold. Course he'd say that just to irritate her, Bulma thought with a hint of a smile that changed to a look of shock as Vegeta suddenly moved over to crouch in front of her, removing the blankets and then the coat causing her to goggle at him in shock. What was he thinking? Feeling him undo the zipper to her own coat Bulma gasped in protest. "What are you doing? I need those." Was he trying to kill her? It was Vegeta after all and this might be some twisted revenge against Goku or just because he was a mean son of a bitch who didn't know the meaning of the word good. What the hell was he doing? 

"You need to get warm, woman and I have the large amount of body heat you need. It will be easier to give it to you skin to skin. Now quit trying to talk unless you need to, woman or I'll shut you up personally. You need to save whatever puny strength you have at the moment." Was Vegeta's answer. 


	2. From Cold to Warm

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters though there are yet to be any and the plot. Those I copyright happily while everything else belongs to the people who own Dragonball Z and wrecked Vegeta's hair and gave him a mustache cries Anyway hope you like this latest chapter and please review cause I love to hear from my readers even if you criticize it...well I'd rather have praise but ya get the idea lol. 

From Cold to Warm 

Watching Vegeta strip down to his black silk boxers after he'd ditched her coat was an experience Bulma wasn't going to forget any time soon. Had it not been for the dryness of her mouth she had the very uncomfortable feeling that she'd be drooling right about now. She'd known how built Vegeta was of course having seen him shirtless too many times to count so why was his upper body suddenly more gorgeous to her then any male model in any of her magazines? Not to mention the fact that she'd seen him in shorts before which was basically what he was wearing but she'd never seen him stripping off clothes and they weren't his shorts but his boxers..there WAS a difference. Her mother had bought him those boxers come to think of it which was weird though she wasn't exactly sure why. Watching the firelight play off his muscles Bulma wished that she had a camera even though odds were he'd bust it as soon as she snapped the picture. Or if the picture survived she'd sell it for big money and call it something like Young War God or something. Oh yeah he was definitely worth getting down on your knees and worshipping. But this was all so silly, she was use to being around guys who were a whole new definition of buff. I mean look at Goku, he was buffer and taller for that matter but you never saw her gawking at him. Part of that would likely be do to the fact that Chi Chi would attempt to kill her if she ever did but still. Watching him as he moved closer then got to his knees Bulma stared at him blankly then gave a startled yelp when she felt his hands began unzipping and removing the layers of clothing she'd put on under her suit after she'd crashed. "Vegeta!" 

"Woman do you want to die or not? Personally I could care less." Vegeta said more harshly then he'd intended but he wasn't exactly enjoying his current task. Or maybe he was and that was the problem. "Do you think I stripped for the fun of it? The only way we're going to transfer my body heat to you quickly is if my body comes into contact with yours with as little between them as possible. If I was interested in something else I certainly wouldn't chose a half frozen idiot like you." 

"And I'd rather date Krillin." Bulma snapped back and enjoyed the way his eyes flashed at her words for a moment before going to their usual blackness. Didn't like that idea did you, oh mighty prince, Bulma thought smugly. She would imagine being told she preferred Krillin to him had to be a big blow to the guy's already huge ego. "It's really too bad Goku didn't come in your place. I bet he would have gotten here quicker." That was definitely the wrong thing for her to have said and Bulma realized it as soon as the words had left her tongue. She was in big trouble now. 

) 

"Oh is that so? Well maybe I should throw you back into the ship in your underwear. Go back to tell him to come get you." Vegeta sneered looking every inch the arrogant prince of a warrior planet where strength was everything and kindness a weakness. In other words she had an ego wounded Saiyan prince on her hands and that was never a good thing. "And even if you were still alive by the time he got here I have no doubt you'd simply have the luxury of dying in his arms were you not too frostbitten to notice." Pissed off now Vegeta practically tore the last shirt down the middle sending buttons flying and her shirt to hang open in tatters with only the top two buttons still attached properly to the shirt. Blinking as he was now looking at Bulma's cleavage in a barely there emerald green bra Vegeta felt all the blood leave his head and head downward at an alarming rate. Staring for several moments Vegeta finally managed to tear his gaze away and looking into her half amused half shocked eyes tried to hide his reaction with words. "And what kind of an idiot wears something like that?" Vegeta said motioning to the bra with a hand that shook slightly since it was itching to removed the rest of the shirt to get the full picture. "It's serving no purpose, it would have made more sense to go without it or wear one that actually covers something." Instantly Vegeta felt the need to go dive into icy cold snow as images of Bulma minus said article of clothing came to mind. Damn it all to hell why hadn't he let Mrs. Briefs get Goku? Curses! 

"Well if I'd known you'd be looking at it I'd have worn long johns." Bulma said as she worked up the effort to stick her tongue out of him though her pulse was jumping all over the place. He hadn't been looking at her bust thinking about the impracticality of her bra that was for sure. The idea both surprising and strangely enough thrilling her. Well, well. Looks like he was human..well not human but not the man of titanium steel either. "And this way there's more skin contact, you should be pleased." Bulma shot out when she returned her attention to the task at hand. Having said it just to see his reaction she was pleased to see him lose just a bit of color in his cheeks. "Now are you going to help me with my pants or not?" 

"Weak woman." Vegeta muttered under his breath to make himself feel better then putting all his mental power forced himself to block it all out and helped her out of the bottom of her snow suit. The snow suit bottoms were soon off to be followed by her sweat pants and then to tight black leggings which had him counting from a hundred to one in his head, anything to take his mind off what he was doing. "Can you manage the leggings?" Vegeta said, his voice a touch husky but not in an unappealing way as he struggled not to stare. He wanted to remove those leggings too much...For the love of Kami let her be up to it. 

"Yeah. I think so." Bulma said with a tinge of pink to her cheeks as he moved away and her hands went to her waistband to start tugging them down. Her plan to make him suffer for the idiot comment had backfired big time and his help getting undressed had gotten her blood moving and circulating better then any bonfire. Taking minutes instead of the usual seconds to get them off Bulma threw the leggings across her stomach to hide her underwear however stupid that was. Good God but now..now came the body contact. "Uhmm, Vegeta...I..I.. Uhm.. appreciate this....a lot. I know you'd rather be blowing my droids up or plotting Goku's slow and painful death." 

) 

Blowing things up and Goku were the last things on Vegeta's mind at the moment but he just shrugged then tried to figure out how to go about this. He'd squish her so top was out of the questions, sides would work but the then at least a side of her would be touching cold ground. The logical and best way would be to have her stretch out on top with the blankets over her back to warm that while his body warmed the front. The problem was that he didn't quite know if he could stand being in that position with the woman. What are you thinking, Vegeta of course you can a little voice in his head told him darkly. She's the same old annoying idiot human female you've been living with who drives you insane with her annoying little habits. Are you a Saiyan, the greatest race to ever be created or a pathetic human who can't handle contact with a measly weak girl. He was a Saiyan God damn it and he was not going to be taken in by her charms. "Okay, I'll lay down on that blanket, layer the blankets on your back and then lay on top of me. That way you'll get the maximum amount of heat. Think you can manage that much, onna?" 

"Quit calling me woman, I do have a name ya know." Bulma said with a huff as she glared at him as she sat there shivering with the blankets she'd pulled over her while he'd been thinking things through. "And yes I can manage to fall on you however unappealing the thought may be, Vegeta. Sure you can take my weight since you're only a little Saiyan after all." Bulma added with a cheeky smirk. "I wouldn't want to make you any smaller then you are already." 

"Despite you're size I think I can handle it for a short period of time." Vegeta replied as close to sweetly as he ever got, enjoying the flames that burst into her eyes as the barb hit home. He'd noticed that human females were abnormally obsessed with their figures and he'd had to listen to Bulma complain about the size of her butt and hips more then once. Not that she needed to worry in that area but Vegeta would have sooner bit his own tongue off then say it. "Now hurry up, onna. You most definitely don't have all day." Vegeta added as he walked over to the blanket he'd laid on the ground in the middle of the area then stretched out with his arms under his head as a sort of pillow. 

"There's nothing wrong with my figure." Bulma mutterer with annoyance as she glared at him, picturing herself wringing his neck. Then the picture he made got to her and all thoughts of ringing his neck promptly left her head. It took his impatient glaring at her to snap her out of it and hesitantly Bulma moved over to kneel beside him then lifting one leg over to straddle him Bulma braced herself on her hands as she lowered her head to his chest, gasping in surprise when she felt the heat pumping out of him. Survival instincts coming into full force Bulma moaned in pleasure and buried her face into his neck, her arms coming up to rest against his chest. "So warm." Bulma purred happily as her hands instinctively stroked the skin under them. All nerves evaporating under the pleasure of being warm Bulma couldn't even remember why she hadn't wanted to do this. "No wonder you were okay..God I could stay here forever! You're like a furnace and forest fire combine!" 

) 

Oh dear God no, Vegeta thought as he closed his eyes which only made the pictures floating through his mind that much clearer. When she'd moaned and nuzzled against him he'd come within inches of forgetting who it was making his body react this way. And if she didn't stop stroking him he was going to blast her into the rock surface. Was she doing it on purpose, Vegeta wondered suspiciously as his eyes narrowed but he couldn't even get a look at her face since it was currently busy nuzzling against his neck which was doing strange things to his body as his senses were overrun with her. The smell of her hair and skin, the feeling of her soft body pressed against him for warmth and protection from the elements. He wasn't even noticing how cold her flesh was because all he could think of was touching it with his fingers to see if it was as soft as it seemed to be. Turning his attention back to the whole point of this with some difficulty Vegeta moved one of his hands from under his head and reaching out drew the blankets over her more securely so that they covered her from shoulder to feet. Now she was covered on all sides and would absorb as much heat as possible. Actually since you lost your heat quickest through you're head maybe it was a good thing she had her head where it was, Vegeta thought, subconsciously trying to come up with an excuse not to ask her to quit with the nuzzling. "Are you cold anywhere?" Vegeta asked roughly when he couldn't take it anymore and needed something to take his mind off things related to anything but speeding this up so that he could move as far from her as possible. Well there were other ways to get her even warmer..NO! What the hell was he thinking..damn it why the hell did all the females of his species have to die so that he was stuck with a bad tempered human hellion who shouldn't have been appealing in any sense of the word. 

) 

"Nope, I've never been this warm in winter ever." Bulma said with a happy sigh as she continued to defrost. It was strange how he was such an enigma, Bulma thought as she moved her head down so that she could look at her hands as they rested against his chest. He was so muscular and hard looking but his skin was soft to the touch and generated massive amounts of warmth and heat. Warmth was definitely something missing from his personality but perhaps it was there and she just didn't pay enough attention. After all she'd never thought he'd go out of his way to help her and even if he had ulterior motives he was still going the extra distance when normally he wouldn't have bothered. Every time she thought she had him nailed he changed slightly or showed another faucet of character that altered the whole picture. She would be dead by now if it weren't for him and she wasn't too pigheaded to admit it but there was always the chance she wasn't going to make it out of here alive. Even this was no guarantee and even if she lived she might have repercussions like frostbite or get really, really sick. Well in that case she supposed the Dragon Balls could be brought in and then she could be wished back. What was heaven like and did it vary from person to person or was it the same for everyone? Would she even get to heaven? She wasn't what you would call a particularly religious person that was for sure and she knew she'd done things over the year she doubted God had exactly approved of. Then again people said that Vegeta would drive a saint to drink and since he'd never managed to drive her to drink did that mean she had saint status? But she wasn't going to die so there would be no thinking about that, Bulma thought sternly. She needed to get her mind on something else, something that would distract her from thoughts of dying and stuff like that. And there was one person who was great at that unless he was issuing death threats or making her want to issue them right back. "Hey, Vegeta...I'm glad you came instead of Goku......Goku would have fainted in embarrassment by now." 

) 

Blinking at her words Vegeta thought about that in silence then before he even realized what it was welling up inside of him Vegeta broke into laughter that rang with amusement. The full body laughter that came from his lips was one of pure and true humor, his body shaking with the force of his amusement. Trying to cut off the laughter Vegeta met with little success since he kept picturing the idiot fainting dead away like some weak woman at the sight of a scantily clad female. Come to think of it it really was amazing that Goku had a son at all given the fact that Vegeta was sure there were HUMAN children out there with higher intelligence not to mention common sense. Laughing harder now Vegeta couldn't remember laughing like this since..well since he was a child and even then... There hadn't been a lot of time for fun and games when he'd been a boy being prepped to become a king one day. 

Jaw dropping when he started to laugh Bulma shifted and moving her face shifted to rest against her arms as she stared at his face which was so..so un-Vegeta like. His eyes were so different when they were shining with humor and amusement, his face so much younger and handsome when it was loose and unlined with strain or concentration. Grinning at him Bulma started to laugh with him as they shared a moment of complete agreement and unrestrained joy. Slowly though Bulma could see him getting himself under control, remembering who he was and Bulma could literally see his mask come back over his face so that the eyes that stared into hers were expressionless and his face giving off the usual cold and hard impression. A face that suggested there wasn't a speak of feeling in his whole body but Bulma knew different. "You have a nice laugh, Vegeta." Bulma said softly as she lifted out a hand and gently cupped his cheek as she stared into the black pools of his eyes which were bottomless and full of danger. "You should do it more often even though I know you won't." 

"You're hand is on my face, onna. It has no reason to be there." Vegeta said coolly as he stared at her, refusing to let her draw him in away from the safety of his shell. She wanted to make him weak and useless, always telling him to get a sense of humor or smile more. He'd smile more when he finally beat Goku and took his place as the strongest being in all the worlds and galaxies. 

"You don't like it move it." Bulma shot back as she stared at him having a feeling that if she was ever going to get to see the real Vegeta behind the masks she had to push now and push hard. And she wanted to know so very, very much who he was. 

) 

His eyes flashing slightly at the dare in her eyes Vegeta moved his hand to her wrist, wrapping his fingers around the delicate skin and squeezed slightly, enough to be uncomfortable but she made no move to stop him even as she winced slightly at the pressure. Seeing the faint hint of pain in her eyes Vegeta's stomach recoiled at what he was doing to her. Instinctively loosened his hold so that his grip was close to gently as Vegeta fought his desire to let her hand remain there, his eyes never giving away his inner battle but his hand did it for him as his thumb gently stroked her wrist even as it held it captive. "What do you want, Onna? Why are you playing with me?" Vegeta finally asked as he moved his hand away to instead cup the back of her head, drawing her closer so that their noses were practically touching. His dark eyes were deadly serious as he searched her eyes for the answers he sought. 

"I want the real Vegeta." 


	3. From Warm to Hot

Disclaimer: As always the same old, same old. I own nothing but my characters and plots of which I copyright lol. Please review and let me know what ya think as well cause the length of the fic depends on it hehe. 

From Warm to Hot 

Vegeta's pitch black eyes flashed for a moment then went as cold and dangerous as black ice, his hand on the back of her neck tightening in a small demonstration of the effect of her words. Muscles tensing under her Bulma could feel him get his body under tight control so that it was as if he were preparing for battle even as he lay there so still, his eyes never leaving hers as they gazed at each other. "The real me, Onna? What makes you think you'd want to see the real me or that you haven't already? I can tell you that it would scare the hell out of you so quit talking nonsense. I have no desire to listen to your brainless chatter." Vegeta hissed, practically vibrating under her with fury as he yanked her hand off his cheek, keeping her wrist in his grasp as he fought back the need to push her away and leave her there till her pathetic human body gave out. He needed to stay because if he didn't that meant he wasn't strong enough, disciplined enough to handle this. 

"I think the real Vegeta scares you more then it would scare me, Vegeta." Bulma shot back, looking down at him defiantly as she was not about to back down now that she'd opened the door to her bad ass Saiyan's head. "It scares you because it likes not having to kill people, it likes being treated nicely and even with affection whether you'll admit it or not. It likes not having to pretend to be evil or that you're without compassion, without a heart that feels like everyone else. You delude yourself into thinking there is no such thing as a good person living inside of you but there is and nothing you say is going to change that." 

) 

"And what makes you think I'm not evil? These hands have been stained with the blood of millions, girl including all your friends." Vegeta growled out, flames erupting into his eyes as her words sliced through his skin like knives. She was suggesting that he was soft, that he only pretended to be strong which was a lie, a dirty lie. He was strong and powerful, a Saiyan prince that inspired fear and panic. He wasn't like her friends, he would never let himself become like them. He hadn't survived Freiza to end up laying around on this planet as this onna's toy while his ancestors looked down in shame. He would not submit to her and he would never let her seduce him into forgetting who and what he was. "My present goal in life is to see them stained with the blood of your precious Goku again only this time with his life's blood. I'm the most dangerous being you've every encountered and you're more of a brainless fool then I thought you were if you think otherwise. I'll even send you Goku's head after I've removed it from his body just to show you how weak I am." Vegeta sneered though her words continued to echo in his head no matter how he fought to drown them out. There were parts of him, weak parts of him he hadn't managed to kill yet which enjoyed the life he lived now but he would kill them, just like he would kill Kakorrot and then this whole filthy, idiot infested planet. He'd kill Goku's little brat, that annoying and mouthy bitch Goku had chained himself to and..Bulma. He'd blow the bitch up without a second thought. Even as voices called him a liar Vegeta assured himself that killing the vixen watching him so intently would be as easy as squashing a bug under his heel. Because he was a Saiyan prince and had no weaknesses or room for pity. 

) 

"If you were evil...I wouldn't want you so much at the moment or care enough to have this argument." Bulma said softly and before he could stop her, even realize what she was going to do for that matter Bulma leaned down and gently pressed her lips against his. Feeling his body jerk in shock under her Bulma gently kissed him, noticing in some part of her mind that his grip on her wrist had loosened even though it was still tight in his grasp. He tasted like himself, dark, wicked with just a hint of something that pulled her deeper, made her want to explore more in the hopes of discovering more about it. He didn't kiss her back or do anything for that matter and it was as if she'd shocked him into compliance, being unable to push her away but with enough will to remain unmoved. Finally pulling away Bulma lifted her head slightly, opening her eyes to stare into his which were looking at her like they'd never seen her before. Perhaps they hadn't, not as a woman and one attracted to him at that though she knew she wasn't the first to look at him with desire. Of course up until now she'd never seen in him something worth going after other then a fine body and a challenge. Now she was seeing more, minute by minute she was seeing much more to him. Things that made her heart beat like a drum and her breath come in short gasps. "And feeling doesn't make you weak otherwise Goku wouldn't be able to beat me much less you. It's his love for others, his drive to protect us that makes him stronger then you and everyone else. Not the training or the blood but the heart. His heart is what makes him who he is. Just as you would be that much more powerful if you'd allow your heart to do more then just pump your blood through your man of steel body." Bulma added as she ducked her head to place her lips against his chest, directly over the heart he liked to pretend wasn't there. 

"Stop that...whatever it is you want from me you won't get it." Vegeta said though his strength was even now weakening even as he willed it to remain strong against her wiles. Her tastes, her scent were threatening to consume him and her words..her words were echoing in his heads like one of those annoyingly catchy commercial jingles on the tv you couldn't get out of your head until another equally annoying one replaced it. She was wrong, she had to be wrong. Goku had simply had superior training or something that had made him more formidable, the idiot's family and stupidity in caring for people had nothing to do with it. Right? But then there was that idiot's the onna possibly be..no of course not, she was simply trying to trick him into falling into her trap. "And what would you know about strength? Even for a human you're weak." 

"Just because I can't kick ass like you guys can doesn't make me weak. I'll have you know that there's a lot of things that I can do that none of you big, strong guys can even begin to understand much less pull off." Bulma said as she punched him in the shoulder, hating it more then anything when he called her weak. Even more then she hated being called woman like she was a thing rather then a person. "And at least I'm not afraid to feel." 

"I'm afraid of no one and nothing." Vegeta said as he got up, Bulma rolling off him and onto her side out of an instinctive need not to go flying. Watching him get up and march off towards the mouth of the cave he'd created Bulma could only stare as he disappeared from view. 

) 

Leaning against the rock wall at the mouth of the hole he'd made Vegeta was too busy brooding to even feel the cold. Muttering and cursing under his breath Vegeta damned Bulma to hell in every language he'd ever learned. She was the most exasperating, bitchy stuck up person he'd ever met and she delighted in playing around with his head. Were all women like this? He couldn't remember his mother and he'd spent most of his formative years with his father or his tutors who'd all been male. Come to think of it he'd spent next to no time with his mother or any females for that matter. His father had likely recognized them for the treacherous snakes that they were and had tried to protect his only son from them. Nothing but troubles, females and if not for the need of them to reproduce and take care of the off spring Vegeta thought men would have killed them off years ago. Women were absolutely useless except when it came to children and really he was almost lucky to have escaped being chained to one through an arranged marriage he would have likely been entered into had things gone differently. Since there were no females worthy enough to bear Saiyan children he would never have to worry about having to put up with any other female then the one at the end of the hole. Not that she wasn't trouble enough. Good God but he would have left a long time ago if it weren't for the fact that the thought of having to work for a living wasn't so distasteful and beneath him. Plus it was amusing to bug the onna and set her off on one of her tangents. It was always entertaining the way her eyes lit up and she seemed to light up the room with her temper alone. Never a dull moment when she was on a rampage. He'd imagine he'd be rid of her one of these days though when she married one of those idiots always coming by the house. Then she'd be gone and he'd..what would he do? Vegeta thought with a growing sense of not just uneasiness but worry. If she left him then what would his life be like? She wouldn't be around to fight with or fix his droids or to bitch at when he was in a bad mood. And none of those idiots were good enough for her for that matter. They thought they were all that in their business suits and fancy last names but none of them would last five seconds in a fight. They were likely after her father's company and her money to, either that or they were after her body and didn't give a damn whether she was dumb as a doornail or not. She wasn't and was likely the most intelligent female he knew not that that was saying much as females were generally annoying and useless things. Well if she tried to marry one of those useless humans he'd order her not to and that was that. She'd be upset and libel to marry the guy just to spite him but he could kill off the groom easily enough without even breaking a sweat. After all someone had to do it since the woman wouldn't know any better and her father certainly wasn't up to it. She was his responsibility and he would see to it that she remained where she was with him. 

) 

Pleased at the thoughts it took Vegeta several minutes to comprehend how that sounded. Damn it all but it sounded like he actually cared about the onna..in that way. But that was absolutely insane, unthinkable. He didn't care for her. He didn't even particularly like her. So maybe she'd stirred him up slightly with the sight of her barely clothed body and the feel of her against him with every one of her lush curves pressed against..damn it what the hell was he thinking? So she was nice looking that didn't mean he wanted her or even desired her. He'd just..all right so he'd responded physically to her touch but for God sakes it had been a long time since he'd been with any female and his body was bound to respond to a nearly naked woman even if said woman was the constant thorn in his side known as the woman he lived with. Not my choice of course but by necessity. Suddenly realizing that he kept stealing glances towards the flickering lights of the fired Vegeta mentally cursed himself for even wanting to go back in there for even a moment. There was nothing and no one of importance in there. A mental image of what she'd looked like without her outer wear popped into his mind and Vegeta couldn't seem to shake it even as he called himself a fool a hundred times over. Damn it why wouldn't she get out of his head? He'd never had these sorts of thoughts about..well maybe a few but...that didn't mean anything and nothing would ever come out of it. It wasn't like she was irresistible or anything. But she'd said she wanted him, had kissed him even though he'd been mad and harsh with her. She'd looked at him with those beautiful eyes with desire and need so that all he'd wanted to do was stare into those eyes and drown in them. To run his hands over her body and show her just what kind of a man he was. Damn it but he wanted her. Seeing no course but to admit it Vegeta realized that she'd gotten under his skin and now he was stuck with an itch that was only intensifying the longer he stood there. Knowing that she was only a few moments away and his for the taking was slowly driving his crazy. He wanted to take her more then he wanted to draw his next breath. Now what the hell was he suppose to do? 

) 

Bulma, wrapped in blankets and curled up into a ball on the blanket Vegeta had spread out had decided to concentrate on a technique Gohan had once told her about. He'd said that if you concentrated on getting warm and imagined your blood pumping through your body from vessel to vessel you'd get warmer faster as your blood sped up. She didn't know if it would work but it was worth a shot. After trying for around two minutes Bulma had pretty much given up on the blood vessel thing. Vegeta had been gone for an hour and she was beginning to think that maybe he'd decided to leave her there. As for the whole blood thing first of all it wasn't a pretty image and secondly she didn't know quite what to picture which rather defeated the purpose of the exercise. Sighing Bulma curled up into a tighter ball and tried to think of a hot day in the sun and gradually moved on to thinking of warm things which was working pretty good till she started to think of Vegeta. The resulting thoughts certainly heated up her blood but had the unfortunate side effect of getting her a little too hot and bothered in other areas. At the point where she was considering screaming in frustration and anger Bulma heard the sound of something ringing. Latching onto any distraction Bulma soon found the source of the sound to be a communicator in Vegeta's jacket pocket. "Hello?" Bulma said into the phone. 

"Bulma, sweetie! Is that you?" Came her father's voice, Bulma relaxing at the sound of her favorite guy in the whole wide world. At least here was one man she could always count on and didn't make her want to pull her hair out in frustration. 

"Yeah it's me, Daddy. Vegeta found me no problem but we're stuck here till the ship's fixed or we have better weather." Bulma said with a sigh, her mind starting to fill with images of being stuck here with Vegeta for several days. Talk about cruel and unusual punishment. "You and mom can rest easy though because there's nothing to worry about." 

) 

"So Vegeta is there with you, honey? That's a relief. I know he'll take good care of my little girl for me until you both get back. Could you put him on so that I can thank him, Bulma? I know he likely didn't appreciate being dragged away from his training to go looking for you, especially in the weather you're likely in." Mr. Briefs said with a smile imagining that Vegeta wasn't a happy camper at all. That boy was never happy unless he was blasting things. 

"Well he's not right here, per say." Bulma said as she looked in the direction Vegeta had gone with a frown before putting cheer into her voice to disguise her worry from her dad. He didn't need to worry just yet and she didn't want him to do something stupid like come after her himself. "He went out to look some things over and make sure we're all secure for the night. I'll tell him you called and give him your thanks." Hearing the sound of footsteps Bulma turned her head to see Vegeta walking into the room giving off a strange aura that had Bulma swallowing audibly. She had no idea why but she had the strangest urge to run. 

Walking over to where the onna sat, clutching blankets around her shoulders with one hand and talking into the communicator with the other Vegeta raised an eyebrow but assumed she was talking to one or both of her parents. With eyes intent with purpose Vegeta moved closer then circling around her sat down directly behind her, smirking slightly when he saw she was trying to look at him while pretending to ignore him. She wouldn't be ignoring him for long, Vegeta thought with a wolfish grin. After all she was only going to be getting what she asked for. 

"What's that, Dad?" Bulma said as she realized that her father had been talking to her without a single word registering. What the hell was he doing, Bulma wondered as she resisted the need to squirm. He was just sitting there and it was as if every cell in her body was on red alert, expecting him to attack and wring her neck at any moment but he was barely making a sound much less moving. Then he did move and Bulma had to bite down on her lip to keep quiet when he yanked the blankets out of her grip and off her with one hand, pulling her into his lap with the other. Muffling a yelp Bulma fell back against his rock hard chest, his arms wrapping around her waist like bands of steel to make sure she stayed put. Vaguely hearing her father calling out to her ask if she was all right Bulma drew in a deep breath and brought the communicator to her ear. "Everything's fine, Dad. I..I just thought I saw something but it was just a weird shaped..rock. Sorry to worry you. How are things at home? Everything okay there?" Bulma asked, doing her best to ignore the man who was once again doing nothing but holding her. Damn him. 

) 

Smirking and pleased that she'd managed to maintain her cool Vegeta lowered his head and began placing hot kisses along the width of her left shoulder before making his way up her neck, enjoying the way she instinctively moved her head to the side to make it easier for him. Listening to her try to hold a conversation with her father was nearly as amusing as teasing her. His hands moving to explore the soft skin of her stomach Vegeta nearly laughed when she attempted to turn a moan of pleasure into a cough. Nice effort but not good enough since he could hear her father demanding to know if she was hurt. Nearly jumping when he felt her dig her nails into his thigh he deduced that she was aware that she was being teased and didn't appreciate it not that that matter to him. Well it was just too bad for her. She was in his system and there was only one way to get her out of it. He'd satisfy his hunger and then go back to how it had been before. He would make her his for a time then when he was sick of her he'd cast her off and he wouldn't give her anotehr thought. He couldn't see how the plan could fail. 

Not about to take this laying down though getting horizontal with him was an incredibly appealing thought Bulma decided two could play at this game. Putting the communicator in between her ear and her shoulder Bulma held it there and deliberately squirmed against him while she set her hands to work stroking his rather incredibly muscled thighs. Yummy, Bulma thought as she felt the tough muscles contract under her roving fingers. Or at least that's what she was thinking before his hands moved up to cup her breasts..then she wasn't thinking much of anything. With the hindsight that Vegeta was going to keep this up till he won her complete attention. That and there were just some things her Daddy was better left in the dark about. "Uhm, Daddy? I have to go." Bulma said as she bit back another moan as Vegeta's calloused and rough hands began top stroke her sensitive skin with more skill then she'd give him credit for. "Save on batteries and stuff. Love you and mom..bye!" Bulma said on a gasp and grabbing the communicator had it off and on the ground in a heart beat as Vegeta continued to torture her slowly and surely. "Why?" Bulma forced out as she arched against his touch, absently thinking that if he intended to leave her hanging she'd find a way to kill him. 

"Do I need a reason?" Vegeta said with a smirk as he nipped her neck almost playfully. 

"Right now? Nope." Bulma said with a sigh, her squirming finally convincing Vegeta to let her move in his arms so that she was facing him. Straddling him Bulma stared into those dark, unreadable eyes and decided to take the chance. Sliding her fingers though his hair Bulma pulled his head up to hers and proceeded to ravage his mouth, Vegeta right there with her as his arms flattened her against him before one hand moving to fiddle with her bra, tearing it when it was too annoying and he too impatient to keep trying. He was tired of playing and was more then ready to heat things up to a boil. 

"Mine." Was all Vegeta said when he finally lifted his head, staring into her eyes with predator intent before he saw to it that they got horizontal and he went about seeing just what it would take to cure him of his need for a certain human onna. 


	4. From Hot to Boiling

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the plot, everything else belongs to others unfortunately. Anyway thanks to all those who have been reviewing and hope you enjoy. 

) 

From Hot to Boiling 

Goku sat on the picnic table bench and watched Yamcha pace back and forth like a caged animal, his friend's face one of intense concentration that had Goku more then a little confused since he couldn't see what all the fuss was about. Watching Yamcha going back and forth was giving him a headache though so Goku finally spoke up in the hopes of getting Yamcha to stop pacing and explain himself. "Why are you pacing like that? Bulma said she and Vegeta wouldn't be back for another thirty minutes so it's not like they're late or anything, I'm sure they're on their way as we speak. Did you forget to do something? Is that why you look worried?" 

"I'm worried because Bulma was trapped with that monster in some cave for a whole friggin week, Goku!" Yamcha said as he came to a stop in front of Goku, raking a hand through his hair. "Who knows what's she's suffered at his hands. Damn it why couldn't her parents have sent you after her instead? Vegeta's satanic, who knows what he's done to her! I swear if he's hurt one hair on her head I'll kill him. Okay..I won't but you will." Yamcha said, not stupid enough to think that anyone other then Goku could take out Vegeta. "After all you and Bulma have been friends since you were younger then Gohan now." 

"Well I think they sent Vegeta because Vegeta was right here when they found out Bulma had gone missing." Goku hazarded to guess and was rewarded by a fierce look from his older friend who looked ready to yank out all his hair till he was as bald as Krillin. "And really if there was anything wrong with Bulma she would have told us, Yamcha. She said that everything was okay and that she and Vegeta were getting along all right every time she called to check in and she checked in twice everyday since Vegeta found her." 

"Yeah but maybe he forced her to say that everything was okay." Yamcha argued back, his face going a tad red. He and Bulma were just friends now but he still felt a tad possessive and protective of her, especially when it came to her being trapped in a snow storm with that bastard Vegeta. "I mean the man is a monster who not so long ago tried to kill us all if you'll remember. Who knows what he'd do to poor Bulma, especially if he was stuck with her for hours on end. You know how those two are, Goku. They've never gotten along so why should now be any different? I tell you something fishy is going on." 

"Fishy? But they aren't near any water they said. Bulma said they had to melt snow and ice instead to get water to drink and cook with. If there were any fish there they'd be buried under ice pretty good." Goku said with a confused look on his face. "Do you think they ate bad fish and that's why they're getting along?" 

"That's not what I..never mind." Yamcha said as he sighed and flopped down on the picnic table. "There's no use explaining this to you at all is there? You may be the greatest fighter in the galaxy, my friend but when it comes to girls and serious stuff you are seriously out to sea. Hey wait a minute..there they are..it's them!" Yamcha yelled as he pointed to a ship that had appeared in the sky. "They're back." 

) 

"Well by some miracle we got this thing in the air now lets see if that magic can hold up long enough for me to land this thing with at least the majority of this hunk of junk together in one piece." Bulma said as she chewed on her bottom lip as she prepared for landing or a possible half landing, half crashing. Looking over her shoulder for a moment Bulma's eyes connected with Vegeta's before she turned her head back to the front, her eyes showing her confusion and worry. Damn but she was sick of the silent treatment she'd been getting this whole ride here from him and she didn't even know why she was getting it. Spend an absolutely mind blowing, molten hot week together and now he was giving her the silent treatment when she hadn't even done anything wrong. In fact she'd been pretty nice to him all week even when they weren't getting naked. He on the other hand had been pretty much the same old Vegeta all week except when he was trying to get her naked so really there was no reason why he wasn't making sarcastic remarks about her driving or needling her as usual like he'd done since the day they'd met. Why was he so damn quiet? Refusing to give into the urge to yell that Bulma flicked some switches and slowly, very slowly began their descent. "Vegeta, if we start to break up here or go down really fast I'd appreciate it if you'd get out of the ship and out there to slow me down without killing me if you would. Please." Bulma called out when the ship began to rock and shake a bit, enough to have her worrying just a bit. 

"It will hold." Came his cold reply from behind her, Vegeta calm and cool in his seat with his arms crossed in front of him. 

Rolling her eyes Bulma gave a sigh of relief when they were almost on ground. If they suddenly crashed from this altitude odds were she'd live to ring his neck . Moments later when she finally set down Bulma hit the appropriate switches and leaned back into her seat with a satisfied grin on her face. "Am I good..I'm damn good." Turning in her seat to grin at Vegeta Bulma blinked when she saw that his seat was empty, the sound of his feet on metal exiting the area faint. He'd just got up and left...without a word. 

) 

Walking out of the ship Vegeta rolled his eyes as people descended upon them asking a million questions a minute. Annoying pains in the ass. "She's inside the ship and she's fine." Vegeta called out then getting out of their way strolled away from them all to head back to his training and away from everyone else. He had a whole week to make up for after all. 

"Wait, Vegeta." Mrs. Briefs called out as she ran after him and enveloped him in a huge hug that had the Saiyan prince struggling to keep his shock hidden. "Thank you so much for bringing my baby back to me. I know you saved her life and I can never thank you enough for the rest of it. If you ever need anything else it's yours for the asking. I'll have all your favorite foods made for supper tonight." 

"Uh..uhm...well..you're welcome." Vegeta finally managed to get out before untangling himself and making a hasty retreat away from everyone else, not wanting to be caught up in their little welcome home party. You mean you don't want to be around Bulma, a little voice in his head called out but was soon squashed under saiyan control. The woman had nothing to do with it. Oh yes she did, the voice called out again, a little stronger this time. You're afraid that someone will see that your little plan backfired on you, oh might prince. You're afraid they'll see how much you've grown to need her, to like the way things have changed between you. "I do not need her now or ever. Things are just as they were before now. They'll stay that way." Vegeta muttered under his breath as he stomped away, his mind battling against the truth for all it was worth. But then why hadn't he been able to treat her like he once had? He'd set out to rid himself of his need for her, that little problem he'd been so sure could easily be taken care of. He hadn't counted on his need for her growing instead of abetting. How could he have seen that bedding her would only strengthen the talons that she'd dug into him when he wasn't looking. How could he have known the contentment of waking up at her side, in seeing her smile at him, really smiling at him. And worse..he'd almost been tempted to smile back. He'd never really known affection from anyone and the woman was full of it too, something he hadn't realized either until she started directing it towards him. Once they'd become lovers she'd taken to touching him even when they were simply working on the ship or looking for useable wreckage for Christ sakes. She'd try to hold his hand or hug him for no other reason then she seemed to like doing it for some reason. Well it was all going to stop Vegeta thought as he entered his training center. From this moment on she was nothing more then a human female who lived in his vicinity and repaired his training equipment. 

) 

"Hey everyone." Bulma said with a smile though there was a hint of strain in her voice that was only noticed by those who knew her well. Soon enveloped with hugs and kisses Bulma was glad to be home. 

"Oh my baby we were so worried about you and Vegeta, stuck in that terrible storm." Bulma's mother said as she hugged her daughter tight enough to make Bulma think about asking her mother to let up a bit. "I'm so glad that you're home and safe. How do you feel?" 

"I'm fine, Mom..really." Bulma said as her father pulled her in for a hug as soon as her mother had let go. "I'll admit I wasn't in the best of shape when Vegeta showed up but I'm as fit as a fiddle now though I'm looking forward to a shower, food and my own bed." 

"Poor, Vegeta. I bet he was complaining the whole time about not being able to train properly out there." Mrs. Briefs said with a shake of her head, thinking of how the bad tempered boy had gone straight back to his training. "I know the one time he answered the communicator he sounded more then a bit peeved off. Then again stuck in a snow storm with nothing to do is likely his idea of hell huh?" 

"Oh he stayed pretty busy, Mom but ya...I think he did miss being here." Bulma said with a grin as she remembered exactly why Vegeta had been so annoyed when that phone call had come in. He wouldn't have answered it at all if she hadn't pointed out that her mother was libel to send Goku out looking for them if someone didn't answer. And she had done her best to put Vegeta through his paces and in shape, Bulma added mentally, her grin going a tad catty before she pulled her thoughts back to a general rating. "Oh and hi guys." Bulma said as she smiled over at Goku and Yamcha. "What are you guys doing here?" 

"Well your mom and dad asked me to come over in case there were any problems and Yamcha came because he was worried about you." Goku said with a smile on his boyish face. "We're really glad you both got back safe." 

"Thanks, guys." Bulma said as she wandered over to give them each a hug and kiss. "I missed you guys too and like I told mom there was really no reason to worry about me. After all I had Vegeta with me." 

"That's why I was worried." Yamcha muttered loud enough for Bulma to hear. 

"He wasn't that bad, Yamcha, really. He took good care of me when I was sick and wasn't half as nasty as he normally is to you guys." Bulma said with a look of understanding amusement, more then slightly amused at the thought of what Yamcha would say if he knew just how good Vegeta had been to her. Well up until he'd turned in to the silent prince of the asseholes instead of his usual loudly arrogant prince of the asseholes self. "Where is he anyway?" 

"Off to blow things up as usual would be my guess." Bulma's dad said with a grin as he pointed in the direction Vegeta had gone. "The boy really needs to learn how to relax..or to get a non violent hobby." 

"Somehow I don't think the idea would appeal to him." Bulma said with a shake of her head, hiding her disappointment and hurt that he hadn't even bothered to say anything to her before he'd left to train. "But that's Vegeta for you." 

) 

Late that evening 

Vegeta sat outside and fumed. He'd just destroyed all five of his sparring droids, demolished his punching bags and made more then a few dents in the walls. He was still upset. His fists clenching and unclenching it was all he could do not to ask Mrs. Briefs where that mindless idiot Yamcha lived, fly off and find the bastard then slowly rip him into small pieces while the bastard was still alive. How dare he, how dare he think he could put his hands on Bulma. She belonged to him and that..that human scum thought he could take her from him. Getting more pissed off just thinking about it Vegeta had to use most of his self control to keep him sitting and not blowing up things. He'd come for dinner to find Kakorrot still there along with that idiot Yamcha, all sitting at the table with Kakorrot stuffing his face as usual while Yamcha, who'd decided he could sit beside Bulma had been busy making eyes at her. Through the whole meal the cretin had been like that, making eyes, patting her hand, talking in low voices so that only she could hear what he was saying. And she'd been lapping it up, Vegeta thought with a dark look, his eyes automatically going to the main house where she was now. Dressing up in those black leggings that looked like they'd been painted on her legs and that tight black shirt, designed the draw your attention to ever friggin curve of her body. There she'd sat without a care in the world, laughing and joking with everyone like nothing had changed. Not once had she smiled at him or even said a word to him for that matter. She'd..she'd ignored him! How dare she ignore him. How dare she act like she'd rather spend her time with that pathetic cretin then with him. She was his God damn it and she should damn well act like it. Feeling his blood pressuring reaching critical levels Vegeta flew off into the air to go find something to blow up before he blew up and did something stupid. 

) 

Bulma sat on her bed and fumed as she glared at the nearby mirror. Damn him to hell, Bulma thought with a dangerous look in her eye, sheer will keeping her from hurling her brush at the mirror with everything she had. Here she had dressed up all nice, done her make up and styled her hair special and he hadn't said one word to her during the entire meal so that she'd had to spend the whole meal trying not to look like she cared that he was ignoring her while trying to assure Yamcha that she was absolutely, for the millionth time okay. Then as soon as supper was over he just gets up and leaves without a word to her and goes back to training, like she didn't even exist. The bastard. Well who needed him anyway. Damn it she did. With a loud sigh Bulma slammed her brush down onto the bed instead then getting up changed into a long T-shirt to sleep in since obviously the only one who was going to be seeing her in it was her stuffed animals and sheets. Pissed off and getting more pissed off just thinking about it Bulma put her hair into two braids then marching back to her bed threw her brush onto the floor for good measure before pushing back the covers to slid in. Giving her pillows several good punches Bulma lay back and grabbed the book she'd left lying on her nightstand accidentally before she'd left for her trip having intended to read it on the way there. Flipping to the first page Bulma settled into read before she remembered that the book was a steamy hot romance one her friend Kami had recommended to her. Damn it! Was the whole friggin world against her tonight. Setting the book back onto the nightstand Bulma crossed her arms in front of her chest and positively fumed in anger, steam practically coming out of her ears. Leaning over with the intention of turning off her lamp, the only light on in the room when she heard the sound of her doorknob turning. Thinking it was one of her parents Bulma forced a smile onto her face until she watched Vegeta come through the door, closing it soundlessly behind him. "What do you want?" Bulma said with frost practically hanging off of every word. 

"What kind of greeting is that, onna? Certainly not the one I've been getting recently." Vegeta said with a hint of a sneer even as he took in his surroundings with interest. He'd never been in her room before. The lack of pink was a nice surprise. 

"Yeah well get use to it, pal because this is your new welcome from now on." Bulma said as she glared at him, refusing to get out of bed on the principle of the point. She wouldn't give him the pleasure of knowing how pissed off she was. "And don't you have better things to do then come walking in here like you own the place? Seems to me you prefer blowing things up to my company last time I checked." 

"And that bothers you?" Vegeta said with a raised eyebrow. "It never did before." 

"Maybe because I wasn't sleeping with you before?" Bulma said with sarcasm dripping from every single syllable. "And since I get the feeling that the only reason your here is because you've broken something I am now aware and I will fix whatever it is tomorrow." 

) 

"I broke all your training droids and several pieces of equipment." Vegeta said with a smirk as her face went slack with shock, an unusual expression for her to be sure. 

"All..all..of them?" Bulma said with shock, gapping at him in surprise. "Why the hell did you do that? I told you never to use more then two droids in a day because you damage them to some extent every time you use them." 

"Well it was either them or your cretin boyfriend..I thought you'd prefer I destroy the ones you can put back together again." Vegeta said dryly though there was a hint of bite to his words that gave away the fact that he wasn't quite as calm and collected as he appeared. 

"My what? What on earth are you talking..do you mean Yamcha?" Bulma said in confusion, trying to put the pieces together in a way that made sense to her which wasn't working well. Okay so Vegeta had declared war on the training droids because he'd wanted to kill Yamcha? But why would hew want to do that? And why would he call Yamcha her..wait a minute..was he..was Vegeta..jealous? "Yamcha isn't my boyfriend though so I have no idea who you're talking about." Bulma said slowly, testing the waters carefully. "Sure we dated a long time ago but that's been over for a while and besides that..the closest thing I have to a boyfriend at the moment is you, Vegeta and that's stretching the phrase to the max. Though judging by your recent behavior I take it you'd prefer we go back to our former cats and dogs routine." 

"That would be the wisest thing would it not?" Vegeta said slowly, processing the fact that according to her Yamcha was no more his rival for her then Goku was. "But then again there's a problem with that route too." Vegeta added as he walked over to her bedside, sitting down beside her so that she had to scoot over a bit to give him room. 

"And what's that?" Bulma demanded to know as she sat up in bed, turning her head so that they were face to face, eye to eye. 

"If we go back to the way things were before this past week..well then I can't do this." Vegeta said with a dark scowl even as he reached out and grabbed her, pulling her against him as he lowered his head to devour her mouth. She was in his mind, in his blood and called to him with a siren's deadly force. She had become his one and only addiction. 

Note 

This fic will cont for a while if you're wondering since I've decided to put all my B/V one shot ideas into it and work it in together as one big fic. Hope you enjoy and look forward to hearing from you. 


	5. From Boiling to Eruption

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original plot and the characters presented in this and other fics. Thank you to all those who have been reading and have a great day.

Boiling to Eruption

Slowly waking up Bulma eyelashes fluttered open for a moment before closing as the suns rays reached them. Awake enough to feel the warmth of the sun, meaning that it was time to get up, Bulma seriously considered throwing her blanket over her head. She was tired, God damn it. Vegeta had kept her up most of the night and what sleep she'd gotten hadn't been a hell of a lot. Not that it would effect HIM in the least, Bulma thought as her lips turned up in a sneer. Oh no, he'd be the same as always Mr. Not Human. Sometimes she wondered if he even needed sleep. Of course she'd never seen him in the morning so what would she know? As early as she tried to rise he was always gone before she even began to stir. She was pretty sure he left as soon as he was done with her. The bastard. She really should kick him out of her bedroom. Lock him out for good measure too. Of course it was kind of hard to do that when he could break said door down with a flick of his finger. She couldn't do the ice queen routine either since she didn't seem to have any self control where he was concerned. Then again she'd like to meet a woman or gay guy who could see Vegeta naked and still have their brain function normally. Basically she was stuck with him until he grew bored and what exactly did that make her? Disgusted with herself and things in general Bulma pulled her blankets over her head, hiding from view. This proved to be a mistake since her sheets smelled like him. Giving a short scream of exasperation Bulma threw the blanket off and naked strolled into her bathroom. Getting into the shower Bulma turned it on hot and slapping her hands onto the tiled walls leaned against it while the water rushed over her body, not even bothering to wipe the water from her face. Damn it. What the hell was she supposed to do? She was getting..attached, damn it. He treated her the way he always did, had done before the whole snow accident with one exception. He now visited her after hours for mind blowing sex and then left like nothing had happened. When something was happening. At least it was happening to her. She never would have believed it but she'd give up her whole wardrobe if he would just hold her for no reason other then he wanted to. To show her some small bit of affection that had nothing to do with sex. Yeah..like that was ever going to happen.

Spitting out water Bulma sighed and pushing off the wall grabbed her shampoo and began her usual routine of shampooing and conditioning her hair before adding her body wash. Rinsing off Bulma turned off the water then opening the screen slightly felt around for the towel rack. Grabbing one Bulma pulled it on, rubbing her face dry before wrapping it around her body. Pushing the screen door completely open Bulma stepped out and walking across the room headed for her bedroom since she was pretty sure she'd left her favorite brush on her night stand. Walking into the room Bulma came to a screeching halt, her hands automatically crossing in front of her breasts as she stared at Vegeta. He was calmly sitting on the edge of her bed and just what the hell was he doing there?

* * *

"Sleeping in?" Vegeta asked with a faint sneer, raising his eyebrow tauntingly as his eyes took their fill. They knew her body well now but the sight of it still filled him with hunger. The thought that he was already on the bed and she undressed crossed his mind, only to be squished quickly. Now was not the time.

"Do I look like I'm sleeping to you?" Bulma shot back, sending him a dark look. "And believe me I wish I was. Do you have any idea how little sleep I've been getting? It's a wonder I haven't accidentally sawed a hand off."

"You were sleeping fine when I left." Vegeta pointed out, the idea that she'd been lacking sleep due to him having never occurred to him. Though it was appealing in a strange sort of way.

"Yeah, you're even better at leaving then you are at pissing me off." Bulma shot back coldly. "Now as I recall you don't visit me unless you've broken something or want to get horizontal so which is it? And for the record, if it's the second one you can leave now because I won't be accommodating you."

"Is that so?" Vegeta said softly, rising slowly to his feet. "And what makes you think you have a choice?"

"Oh I'm well aware that you can make me want you but you see I have an ace up my sleeve." Bulma fibbed, her mind racing before she blurted out the first thing that came to her. "If you do, seduce me after I say no then I'll...I'll refuse to fix your machines."

* * *

"You'll what?" Vegeta demanded, his face the picture of surprised shock.

"I won't fix your machines." Bulma repeated, confidence coming into her voice as her fingers flexed against her damp towel. "You break something and it won't be getting fixed any time soon, pal. You may be able to control my hormones but you can't make me fix your toys."

"You'd dare to?" Vegeta uttered, the idea completely ludicrous and unbelievable to him. You would think he'd been forcing himself on her. The woman came willing into his arms and how dare she think she could tell him what to do. She was his and she'd do what he damn well told her.

"Yeah, I would. You may be turning me into your God damn concubine but I'll die laughing before I stoop to being a spineless one." Bulma snarled, marching across the room to stand in front of him, one hand clutching her towel closed while the other lifted to poke him in the chest. "You may be a great Saiyan warrior and you may be the toughest bad ass I've ever met but I won't let you treat me badly. I won't let you turn me into some doormat." Bulma sputtered out, not even realizing that their were angry tears gathering in her eyes. "And I will refuse to cater to you if I damn well want to. It's not like you ever do anything for my sole benefit. I suppose I should be grateful you at least bother with foreplay given how selfish and self centered you are, you bastard."

* * *

Stunned speechless Vegeta stared into her teary bluish eyes as they glared up at him. There were so many things to yell at her for he just had no idea where to start. First of all since when was she spineless? Even after he'd taken her to bed she still constantly nagged and bitched at him. He doubted she went even half a day without yelling at him at least once for something. He let her get away with so much it wasn't even funny. Any other Saiyan would have killed her by now she was that annoying. She should thank him for letting her live. And as for concubine, well if she was one then she was the worst he'd ever seen. Concubines were supposed to be accommodating, respectful and prepared to do whatever it took to please their master. Since when had she been even close to that? The only way she could be even remotely considered his concubine was the fact that they were involved sexually. That being the only area he couldn't find fault with when it came to her. She was loud, annoying, argumentative and worse a human. She should feel privileged to have held his interest this long.

"So why did you come in?" Bulma blurted out, the threatening look in his black eyes un nerving her. He looked on the edge of being thoroughly pissed off and that was never a good thing. She wasn't really afraid of him but still...

Blinking Vegeta broke free of his dark thoughts to process her question, noticing the faintest hint of fear in her eyes. An unfamiliar feeling, an unpleasant one, came to his notice then. For some strange reason...he didn't like seeing that hint of fear in her eyes. Why that was he had no idea. She should fear him. Everyone should. That was how he liked it. He'd always enjoyed the sight of fear rising in the eyes of his victims. Seeing the challenge and arrogance melt away to sheer terror once they realized what they were dealing with, that their lives were about to end. But somehow, for some reason...he didn't like seeing it in hers. Without meaning to Vegeta raised his hand, setting it against her cheek as he watched her eyes go wide with surprise. "Do you think I'd hurt you..if you refused to fix my machines?"

"Maybe."

"Yet you still threatened it." Vegeta said thoughtfully, his thumb absently caressing her cheek in a show of affection he wasn't even aware he was making.

* * *

Well aware of it Bulma fought the urge to ask him if he realized he was doing it, knowing instinctively that he'd stop if she pointed it out. Taking a deep breath Bulma nodded. "I did. I don't think you'd kill me over it anyway. That would defeat the purpose." Bulma said softly, a hesitant smile coming over her face before turning into a scowl. "And you know...I think this is the first time you've been in my bedroom when the sun's actually up."

"True. It's hard to teach you a lesson when you're no longer living. Of course I wouldn't be surprised if your idiot friends went hunting for the Dragonballs and brought you back."

"And I'm sure you'd do everything in your power to discourage them." Bulma shot back sarcastically as she moved her hands to her hips then cursed when her towel began to slip down, the curse turning to a yelp when Vegeta grabbed it and simply yanked it off, holding it loosely at his side. "Give that back!" Bulma snapped angrily, one hand wrapping protectively across her breasts while the other covered between her thighs.

Perilously close to grinning Vegeta raised an eyebrow as he smirked at her. "Isn't that a little pointless? I've seen every inch of your skin already."

"You've done more then seen it. Now give it back!" Bulma demanded, feeling, well, naked. She was tempted to snatch it back but knowing him he'd just hold it out of her reach. Either that or shred it just to piss her off.

"Why should I? I prefer you this way." Vegeta replied silkily, deliberately pissing her off by making a pointed study of her exposed body while she glared at him. She really was an appealing sight. He stuck by his observation that he'd seen better but all in all, there was little about her body that displeased him. In fact at the moment he couldn't think of a single negative thing to say about it. Pushing aside their argument from his mind Vegeta's thoughts turned to the one activity that was almost worth missing training for.

* * *

Knowing the look that was slowly coming into his eyes Bulma backed away slowly, her eyes going weary as she watched him like a deer sensing the presence of a predator. "Don't even think about it. You don't like to touch me during the day, remember? You hate it when I so much as try to touch your shoulder."

"Who said I hated it?" Vegeta said as he took a step closer. "And I will touch you whenever I please, woman."

"Like hell you will. Get out of my room this instant, Vegeta. You lay one hand on me and I WILL stop making you things and I'll give all your present training machines to GOKU!" Bulma yelled, her eyes flashing with anger, nearly full out rage. He'd took the towel just to humiliate her and put her in her place. Well she'd be damned if she'd go there this time.

Eyes flashing Vegeta stared at her for a moment before throwing the towel in her face. "You make it sound like leaving your presence is a hardship. I assure you, it's not." Vegeta said coldly before turning on his heels and marching out the door with eyes shimmering with controlled anger and rage. Had he gone back to Bulma's room he would have found her looking very similar.

* * *

Hours later Bulma walked in the cool night air, anger still left over from that morning present in her eyes. She'd spent most of the day in her work area, trying to distract herself without much luck. She hadn't seen Vegeta once but just the thought of him got her all riled up again. Wishing absently she'd warn a coat over her sweater Bulma absently rubbed her arms as she picked up the pace. Even the great music pumping through her headphones wasn't enough to improve her mood. Forcing herself to concentrate on the music Bulma quietly began to sing along, putting a bit of a swig to her hips as she moved to the beat. Suddenly feeling the hairs on the back of her neck stand up Bulma got the strangest feeling in her stomach. An unpleasant one at that. Turning around Bulma looked around her but couldn't see anything. The park she was walking in was pretty much deserted and she couldn't even hear the sound of traffic. Guess someone had walked over her grave, Bulma thought with a smirk though she couldn't shake the strange feeling in her stomach. Minutes later she was back to singing, the feeling pretty much forgotten in the back of her mind. She never saw it coming. One minute she was walking the next she was crashing to the ground, her head feeling as though someone had split it open as it exploded in pain. Somewhere in the back of her mind it registered that someone had hit her from behind with something but for now all there was was the pain.

* * *

Vaguely aware of what was going on Bulma felt an unfamiliar body straddle her, the vague sound of her sweater being sliced open as she lay there, too stunned to do anything. Hearing heavy breathing Bulma felt hands race across her exposed skin, words muttered in a deep, whispery voice she didn't recognize but that sent spikes of fear through her system, forcing her mind to fight back the pain so that it could realize what was happening. Shifting slightly Bulma's mind cleared in a flash when she felt her wrists being encircled, wrapping around them like vises as they yanked her arms above her head, his body weighing her down as she began to struggle beneath him even as he ordered her to stop it. Only vaguely hearing his threats Bulma screamed, crying out for help which turned to a whimper when he let go of one of her wrists to backhand her across her face. His free hand grabbing something he'd dropped beside her Bulma's eyes widened with horror when she saw that it was rope. Oh God. This was planned. He knew what he was doing. Mind whirling with images of what he was going to do to her circling her mind Bulma was all sent to scream again when a voice came into her head. A familiar voice that was Vegeta's, telling her that she was acting like a pathetically weak human and that he couldn't believe she was just laying there, taking it. She had to be pretty stupid and pathetic to have been around so many fighters over the years and still not be able to protect herself. To just lay there and take it. Spurred on by that voice Bulma began to struggle harder, moving her arms and hands as best she could to interfere with the tying. Feeling one of his hands let hers go, likely to strike her again, Bulma did the only thing she could think to do in her present situation. Fight as dirty as Vegeta would. Rearing up as best she could Bulma opened her mouth and closed it over his nose, biting down as hard as she could. It was his turn to scream. Ignoring the blood that filled her mouth and slid down her face Bulma held on as long as she could, even as his hands went around her neck in an attempt to strangle her into letting go. Finally needing air too much Bulma let go, absently lashing out with her elbow to his throat as she fell to the ground, gasping for air. Struggling up to her hands and knees Bulma looked at him on his knees, bent forward with his hands covering his nose. Eyes going hard Bulma got to her feet and picking up the bat he'd discarded started forward. Oh it was on now. And payback was going to be a bitch.

* * *

Coming into the house with the intent to get a bottle of water Vegeta came to a quick halt when he heard voices in the kitchen that made him pause.

"...and she was covered in blood. Her sweater was sliced down the middle and if the officer hadn't been nearly holding her up she wouldn't have been standing." Came Bulma's mother's voice, the edge of hysteria in her voice catching Vegeta's attention. "My God but our poor baby! First there was the accident in those mountains and now this. The officer said that her attacker was likely the same man responsible for several rape/homicides that have been happening in the city!"

Not hearing anything else as his blood went cold Vegeta forgot about the water and backing away quickly moved to the stairs and was up them and down the hallway without a pause. Coming to her room he threw it open then came to a grinding halt once more as he stared at the figure looking so small and pale on the bed. She was holding an ice pack to the back of her head, her left cheek bruising heavily already as she looked at him wearily. Marching across the room Vegeta loomed over her, his eyes taking in the bruises around her neck and wrists where the delicate skin had been held and battered. "Who did this to you?" Vegeta demanded hoarsely, the beginnings of a rage he'd never felt before welling up inside of him. "Who put these marks on your body?"

"Didn't know him." Bulma said weakly, feeling to weak and worn now that the adrenaline was wearing off. She'd won and now that she had her body was letting her have it. Big time.

"Where else are you hurt?"

"Better question would be where don't I. If you've come for an arguement..we'll have to postpone. All I want to do is curl up and die right now." Bulma said wearily, wincing as her head started to pound a bit more, as if Vegeta's very presence were enough to give her one. Eyes widening when he simply leaned closer to gently trace her bruised cheek with his finger tip Bulma closed her eyes at the caress. "Careful..I might think you cared."


	6. From Eruption to Falling

Disclaimer: Hi everyone and hope you had a great summer. BIGGEST APOLOGIES for not updating until now. I could give you a lot of reasons but really all I can do is say I'm really sorry and that it won't happen again. Thanks to all those who've waited and are going to give me a second chance. As always only the original characters and plot lines belong to moi.

Eruption to Falling

"Quiet." Vegeta snapped, tracing the imprint of a man's hand on her cheek, his eyes intensely focused as he tried to concentrate on getting himself under control before he let his feelings slip out. He wouldn't let anyone, least of all the onna see how the sight of her harmed caused his traitorous emotions to feel things he wouldn't ever acknowledge. Looking at what had been done to her didn't help things and he couldn't seem to look away. "And you didn't answer my question, woman."

"Yes I did. Believe me after the damn looking over they gave me I could give you a list several pages long of various injuries." Bulma muttered, her eyes remaining closed so that she could simply enjoy his touch. He was probably glaring at her and that would ruin it.

"You required medical attention? This is how you look AFTER they helped you?" Vegeta demanded to know.

"Well I think it was standard since it was a sexual assault. That and they needed pictures for their records and stuff." Now that had been embarrassing. She was as liberal as the next but letting someone take pictures of the bruises and marks on her body, her naked body in some cases hadn't been fun.

Sexual assault, Vegeta thought to himself. Had she been..." Eyes widening Vegeta leaned down and grabbing fabric had the nightgown ripped in two down the center as easily as if he were unzipping something. Ignoring her yelp of protest Vegeta stared at the bruised and marked flesh, scratch marks by and on her breasts as though they'd been clawed at. Everything that had been done was there in various shades of purples, blacks and other bruise tones.

* * *

"Vegeta...?" Bulma said slowly, her eyes widening at the look on his face as he stared at her body, too surprised by what he'd don to even put her arms in front to cover. He looked..she'd never seen him look like that before. He looked...almost like he did every time he was reminded that Goku was stronger. Half angry..and half pain?

"Did..did..did he...?"

"Did he?" Bulma began, bowled over at Vegeta's near stuttering when his meaning hit home. He was asking if she'd been raped. "No. He would have but you aren't looking at any man's victim. I kicked his ass...he just got in some serious blows before hand. My head is pretty hard but I'm afraid his bat was harder."

"He'll die for this. He'll be begging for it before I'm even close to finishing with him." Vegeta hissed, his eyes moving to meet hers, the black eyes flashing with rage and a dark intent that would have made even the worst scum of humanity quiver in fear. "I swear it."

"Vegeta...he's been caught. He's behind bars where he can't hurt anyone." Reaching out, as painful as it was Bulma took one of his hands or tried to. Since it refused to move from its white knuckle hold all she could do is cup it in her own. "I don't want you to go hunting for him." As much as she wanted him dead, to suffer as she knew Vegeta could make him suffer...it wouldn't be right. She didn't want any more blood on Vegeta's hands, especially because of her.

"He hurt you." Was Vegeta's simple reply, making it clear he had no intention of letting it go.

"Vegeta..."

"I've been on enough conquered planets to see the aftermath of rape. What can be done to a woman, left to the mercy of someone stronger then her. If you had been any less then what you are..that could have been you. There is nothing I could do to this human that would begin to make retribution in my mind for what he would have done to you. You can't stop me."

* * *

"But I can ask you not to." Was Bulma's quite reply, her eyes holding his firmly. Time to use her head since he obviously wasn't. A part of her was bursting with happiness, the idea that he would do this for her as heady as any drug. This wasn't about sex or possession, he was simply upset because someone had hurt her. He was championing her for her sake and not for any reward or ideal. After all Vegeta didn't really have ideals outside the fighting ring. But as much as the idea of her slaying her dragon...it wasn't what was right. It wasn't justice. "But if you do...well I understand. Of course you realize if you do...I'll take it as a sign that you really, really care about me."

"What?" Blinking at her in surprise Vegeta stared, not quite sure what to say.

"Well think about it. If you do this...well it's because you care. So if you kill this guy then I'm going to have to assume it was because of me. And I'll tell everyone." Bulma said with a faint smile, putting a lot of emphasis on everyone. Watching his eyes darken while his color paled slightly she saw her meaning hit home. There was nothing Vegeta hated more then ANYONE thinking he had feelings like everyone else, especially soft emotions.

"I don't care. What would give you such a stupid idea." Vegeta snarled, instinctively backing away a couple of steps. "I was...I mean...I was simply going to kill him because he's hurt you badly enough that..you won't be able to maintain my machines. The pathetic human bastard is going to cost me valuable training time. Of course I want him to suffer for that."

"Right. Of course." Bulma said with a nod though she couldn't quite hide a small smile. How did she know he would say something along those lines? God but she knew him too well. "Well in that case you better get out of here and let me recover..so that I can heal faster and repair your machines."

"Right, I will." Vegeta replied gruffly, surprised that the woman hadn't thrown something at him. She would have normally. Was she too injured to even throw a pillow at him? She always had enough energy to yell at him at the very least but she was just tugging her covers up like nothing worth getting angry over had happened. What was wrong with her? Had the ice on her head been for a more serious wound then a simple bump?

* * *

"Night, night." Bulma said as she closed her eyes, practically feeling the confusion rolling off of him. Well let him spend the rest of the night trying to figure things up. Maybe she'd get lucky and he'd come to the conclusion that maybe he cared a little more then he'd thought. But since it was Vegeta she wasn't counting on it. His head was harder then platinum.

"Do you..need anything..before I go? To help you recover faster, woman?" Vegeta asked, somewhat hesitant to go. After all should she be left alone? He could have sworn that he'd heard somewhere that human skulls were so fragile even the slightest injury could easily become serious. Someone should really be here watching over her. Shouldn't they?

"Nothing you can give me." Was Bulma's reply, barely able to keep her mouth from twitching. Now wasn't this something to write in her journal. The first time Vegeta was actually hesitant to leave her where sex wasn't even remotely possible. And who said you couldn't change a man if you really, really tried?

"What do you mean? What can't I give you?" Vegeta demanded to know, insulted at the idea. Anything anyone else could do for her he could certainly do. He'd patched himself up plenty over the years. He knew more about injures and medical treatments then she did, no question.

"Don't worry about it, Vegeta." Bulma said with an innocent sigh as she closed her eyes. "Please turn the light off when you leave. Thanks."

* * *

"I'll leave when you answer my question." Was his stubborn answer. He wasn't moving until he had his answer.

"Well...no, it's a human thing. Saiyans can't do it."

"There is nothing a human can do that a Saiyan can't." Vegeta growled, the perfect picture of a very insulted alpha male. The very idea that the woman actually thought there was something her species could do better just floored him.

"This they can't. You said so." Bulma replied sweetly, enjoying herself and the warm, fuzzy feelings she was getting. Despite his present behavior..he'd cared. Not that that was going to stop her from playing with his head.

"When did I ever say there was something a Saiyan couldn't do? The very idea is ludicrous. You must have suffered brain damage tonight, easily enough to understand considering how weak and feeble you humans are." Vegeta shot back, having moved to stand over her bed once more. Looking down at her with a large scowl he could clearly sense her amusement and didn't share the sentiment.

"But this you can't." Was her reply. "I know you can't so you might as well go."

"Well tell me what it is and then I'll prove to you I can do it, stupid woman!."

"Cuddle."

* * *

"Cuddle?" Vegeta repeated, the words foreign and a strange one to his ears.

"Yes, cuddle. Something no Saiyan can do but which humans are pros at. So you see you can't help me." Bulma said with a self satisfied smirk on her face even though it hurt her jaw and cheek to do it.

"What does cuddling have to do with you getting better?" Vegeta demanded, side stepping the main issue which was the fact that she was right. Saiyans didn't cuddle. They didn't even have a word meaning cuddle in their vocabulary. And really, wasn't cuddle such a stupid word? A stupid as well as weak and useless gesture? Of course his race didn't know how to cuddle. Who would want to learn such a pathetically idiotic skill?

"It would make me feel better." Bulma objected, not about to let this go. "I'm bound to have nightmares tonight and if someone were here, with me I wouldn't be scared or as scared. Someone holding me maybe wouldn't help my bruises and scratches but I'd feel better and therefore get a better night's sleep which in turn would help my overall recovery. When you get hurt I stick by YOU while you're sleeping as you'll recall."

"I don't recall asking you too." Vegeta replied silkily, scolding at her. "And I certainly don't need anyone cuddling me."

"Well obviously though I bet you do have nightmares..whether you'll admit it or not. Now admit that I'm right and then go."

* * *

"Admit that you're right about what?" Vegeta asked, being deliberately obtuse.

"Admit that cuddling is something that Saiyans can't do and humans can." Bulma reminded him sweetly, more then a little smug as she waited for him to eat his words. "If you thick headed Neanderthals ever tried you'd likely end up killing the other person."

"I'll admit nothing of the sort. Just because we've never done something doesn't mean that we couldn't if we wanted to." Vegeta shot back stubbornly. He'd go down laughing and proclaiming that idiot Krillin stronger before he'd ever admit there was something his species couldn't do better then the human race.

"This you couldn't. I know you can't."

"I think I would know what I can and can't do, woman." Vegeta responded, starting to get more then a little testy. There was nothing he hated more then being told he couldn't do something, least of all when humans were capable of doing that something. It was one thing for him to refuse to do it and an entirely other thing to be told he couldn't.

"Well I say you couldn't do it. Even if your life depended upon it." Was her definite and unwavering answer. The very idea of Vegeta cuddling with anyone was laughable. He was more likely to blow a person up then touch him or her. He was a very hands off sort of person normally unless he wanted something.

* * *

"We'll just see about that." Vegeta said just as definite as he turned and walking around her bed sat down and began taking off his boots that he hadn't bothered to remove earlier.

"What are you doing?" Bulma wanted to know, plainly confused.

"Proving you wrong, as always. Eventually it will get into your head that when I say my kind is superior in every way that I mean exactly that." Was his reply as he kicked them off and removed his shirt. Shoving back the bed spread Vegeta slid under the covers then laying down on his side to face her. "Come here."

"Are you serious?" Bulma said with her mouth gapping open. She'd meant to play with his pride and ego a bit..she'd never dreamed he'd actually go so far as to prove her wrong. Then again with the size of his ego..she really should have expected him to dig in his heels and insist otherwise.

"I said come here and I mean come here, woman." Was his demanding reply.

Not about to look a gift horse in the mouth Bulma carefully got on her side and scooted over slightly, his arm coming around to pull her the rest of the way against him, his arm then retreating to his side instinctively. "You're supposed to put your arms around me." Bulma informed him.

* * *

"I was getting to that. I was waiting for you to settle into a comfortable position." Vegeta lied, having had no clue where to start. She'd cuddle against him before, in her sleep but he'd never made any effort to encourage her, much less reciprocate the action. After all, why would he? He'd have already gotten what he wanted from her. Why would he need to cuddle with her? Why would he want to? If he had his arms around her it had nothing to do with providing comfort. But he'd said he'd do this and so he would. He..just need to try and think more like a human, as much as that turned his stomach. Carefully sliding one arm under her while the other slid up to rest on her hip he shifted so that she was plastered against him with his arms holding her close. "See?"

"You'll run as soon as I go to sleep. You always do." Bulma replied matter of fact, closing her eyes once more as she settled against him. She always felt so safe in his arms, a joke really when you considered how easily those arms could squeeze until her rib cage was crushed. Then again maybe that was the appeal. Knowing he was that strong but that he was also strong enough to hold her gently too.

"I don't run." Vegeta shot back, insult in his voice. "I simply leave your room through your balcony and return to my own living quarters."

"And you do that why? I mean my bed is definitely more comfortable then that hard mattress you insisted on. I'm surprised you don't have serious back problems by now."

"Would you rather I stayed and have your parents find out?" He reminded her pointedly.

"I wouldn't care if they knew." Bulma replied, surprising herself as well as him. In all likelihood the idea of her parents knowing should have bothered her but deep down it really didn't. She wasn't ashamed of her relationship him, hell she could use some help explaining what she saw in him. "They'd be surprised but its not like they'd kick you out or anything. You're like one of the family now. And before you say you aren't it doesn't matter what you think. We can think of you as one of us even if you don't feel the same. Hell I know you don't feel the same."

"One of the family?" Vegeta repeated, the idea a disturbing one. He'd never had a family, had never wanted one. But according to her he had one..whether he wanted it or not. Her father was a weak, scatterbrained simpleton who wouldn't hurt a fly. Her mother was a bubble headed blonde with little to no common sense and a strange obsession with clothes and fashion. Bulma was...well she was...he wasn't quite sure any more. They were his family? What did that mean?

* * *

"Yup. Good night, Vegeta." Bulma answered then with a faint yawn snuggled close and within minutes was asleep.

Half way through the night Vegeta heard footsteps coming and sliding away from Bulma and out of the bed he hid in the shadows as he watched Bulma's door open slowly. He smelled her before he saw her as he watched Bulma's mother come into the room on tippy toes, making her way over to fuss with Bulma's covers and kiss her on the forehead before turning around and leaving again. Once he was sure she wasn't coming back he left the shadows and returned to her bed, sliding in and once again gathering her close against him.

Having been woken up by her mother's fussing Bulma had assumed Vegeta had left her when she found herself alone. She hadn't even heard him move when he was once again sliding under the covers, his arms wrapping around her to draw her against his warmth once more. He'd stayed, she though dreamily as she closed her eyes once more. He hadn't left her. Settling back to sleep she awoke once again to the early rays of dawn. At first she couldn't believe it but her senses slowly accepted the fact that not only had he come back after her mom came to check but he'd stayed. He'd stayed the whole night. For the first time..he was still there when she'd awoke. A smile blooming across her face she wanted to hug him but knew that would wake him. And then he'd leave. Better to stay as she was and simply enjoy the unexpected gift. Settling back into sleep, she didn't even feel her heart begin to fall.


	7. From Falling to Trapped

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the ideas my twisted, defying all descriptions mind. Any psychological damage I do I apologize for but really, having read my stuff, you should know better lol. Anyways I hope you enjoy this new chapter and please review, I really, really love hearing from you. Thanks and have a great day!

Important Note: I've UPPED THE RATING! It's now M, just to be safe for future chapters. If you want you can skip the last paragraph, then it's pretty much PG material lol.

Falling to Trapped

Vegeta sat down at the table and looking around noted the unusually good spread of food with a raised eyebrow, wondering what the occasion was. Looking over at the absent minded professor Vegeta noticed the man looked a little nervous about something. The girls had also been acting a little off the last couple of days but when he'd asked Bulma about it she'd just winked at him and told him he was paranoid. Then she'd started undressing and he'd forgotten all about pursuing the matter. Hearing humming Vegeta turned in his seat to watch Mrs. Briefs come in with a definite bounce to her step as well as other part of her anatomy, he smirked. Someone was happy, he thought as he watched her set down the last breakfast plate before taking a seat beside her husband.

"Where's Bulma?" The professor asked, clearing his throat as he stared at all the food that was in front of them. Thankfully young Vegeta was a growing young man and would eat over half of it, he thought with a small smile.

"She'll be right down." His wife replied, beaming at the men at her table with plenty of good will to spare. "She came down and then went back up to get something she forgot. She said to go ahead and start without her."

Already transferring food onto his plate Vegeta hadn't even considered waiting for the woman. If she was going to be late for breakfast then she deserved to have everything eaten before she got back. Probably had to fix her hair into something complicated or put some make up on, Vegeta thought cynically. She was like that.

* * *

They were busy loading their plates when moments later Bulma bounced in wearing jeans and a red shirt. She didn't look like she'd spent the last ten minutes in front of the mirror though. In fact she looked a bit frazzled. "Sorry I took so long." Bulma apologized, sliding into her seat. Not surprised to see Vegeta already eating she smiled brightly at her father. "I couldn't find something and I nearly tore my room apart looking for them." 

"Did you find them, Sweetie?" Mrs. Briefs asked as she passed her daughter the eggs.

"Yeah. In the last place I looked of course." Bulma said with a good natured chuckle as she pulled an envelope out of her pocket and handed it across the table to her father. "These are for you and mom, Daddy. Happy Valentines Day!"

"Oh, you didn't have to do that, Baby." Mrs. Briefs gushed as she gave her daughter a one armed hug while her husband opened the envelope. "What are they, Dear?"

"They're tickets and reservations to that new hot springs in Soho." Bulma explained when her dad just kept studying the contents in the envelope rather then answering. "You and dad are going to spend Valentines Day in the Honeymoon suite and pamper yourselves selfishly."

Squealing with delight Mrs. Briefs jumped from her seat to hurry around the table to take the information from her husband, already babbling about all the things they were going to do while Dr. Briefs just looked a little shell shocked.

Watching all this Vegeta looked over at Bulma questioningly. What the hell was Valentines Day? Not that this sounded like a bad thing. With her parents out of the house...Yes, this could be very good for him, he thought to himself.

* * *

"Valentines Day is an Earth holiday, Vegeta." Bulma explained, not surprised to see that Vegeta had once again missed all the signs of the upcoming popular holiday. As commercial as the holiday was Vegeta was king when it came to ignoring everything that didn't have to do with him or fighting. "Basically it's a day for girls and guys to give their special someone something and celebrate being a couple. The day for lovers basically." 

"You must have spent a lot of money on these, Bulma. You didn't have to go to so much trouble." Her father told her as he came around the table to give her cheek a kiss.

"Well I wanted the most special guy in my life to spend his Valentines Day with his special someone. Since I don't have a guy to lavish my attentions on you'll just have to have my good time for me." Bulma said with a wide smile, kissing her father's cheek in return. "Now you and Mom can have a great time without us kids underfoot." She added with a giggle, motioning to Vegeta and herself.

"Kids?" Vegeta repeated, eyes narrowing slightly. There were several things she'd just said that bothered him. The kid comment was unfortunately the only one he could call her on though.

"Yuppers." Bulma replied sweetly, a definite gleam in her eyes. "Vegeta will likely hole himself in his training all day and I'm going to be out all day anyway. We can survive without you guys for the weekend. Right, Vegeta?"

"Right." Was his tense response.

* * *

It didn't take Bulma long to help her mother pack the luggage needed and before noon the Briefs were on their way to the hot springs leaving behind Bulma and Vegeta who watched the car drive away from the lawn. Waving enthusiastically until her parents were out of sight Bulma finally lowered her hand, sticking both of them into her pockets. "Well they'll have lots of fun. Guess I'll head out too. See you tomorrow or whenever." 

"What do you mean..see you tomorrow?" Vegeta said slowly, turning to face her with suspicion in his eyes.

"Well you'll be training all day and I'm going out. I definitely won't be around for supper and I don't know exactly when I'll get back. Don't worry, I'll leave the phone book out for you so that you can order take out. Heaven forbid you try to cook." Bulma teased with a smirk, enjoying as she watched him try to hide the fact that her words were aggravating the hell out of him. Oh well, that was the idea, she thought with an inner smile. She had plans for her Saiyan prince and so far everything was going the way she wanted it to.

"And where do you think you're going?" Vegeta asked silkily, his eyes flashing slightly as his mind raced. He couldn't think of anything she might possibly be doing that would result in her being gone that long. Plus, she'd said that Valentines Day was supposed to be a day for lovers. Shouldn't she be trying to spend the day with him? Not that he'd have let her but that was beside the point.

* * *

"I said I was going out. I have plans for this evening that require me to look my very best." Bulma said with a chuckle, fluttering her lashes at him teasingly. "Come dinnertime I'm going to be quite a bit poorer but looking like I'm worth every yen. My salon is going to love me today, I guarantee it." 

"What sort of plans do you think you have, Woman?" Vegeta demanded to know as he walked closer, getting into her personal space as his dark eyes drilled into hers. "Seems to me that you should be staying here."

"I don't see how my plans are any of your business." Bulma informed him, not intimidated in the least as she stared back at him. "And why would I need to stay here? It's Valentines Day after all. Not a day to sit at home or work on repairing all the damage you cause on a daily basis, Vegeta. It's a day to enjoy yourself."

"You're mine." Vegeta informed her, his voice harsher then he'd intended.

"No, I'm not. At least not in a way that means I should be spending this holiday with you." Bulma fibbed as she pulled out her right hand to poke her finger into his rock hard chest. "This is a day for lovers and last time I checked you don't love me and you aren't my boyfriend either. Therefore you don't have any claim on me, even today, pal. Why? Do you want me to spend today with you?"

Eyes pretty much slits now Vegeta had to use most of his control not to strangle her. She was trying to manipulate him and he wasn't going to stand for it. He wasn't going to fall for any of her foolish little verbal traps either. "If you want to go I certainly see no reason to stop you." Was his cold response before he turned on his heels and headed off to his training area, completely unaware that he had in fact just walked right into her trap and closed the door behind him.

* * *

"So who's the lucky guy, Bulma?" Maiza asked as she looked over at her former high school chum as they sat side by side for their manicures. "I haven't seen you around with anyone lately. Then again, maybe this mystery guy is the reason I haven't seen you in forever." She added with a teasing wink. 

"Well you could say that." Bulma said with a faint smirk, picturing just how much of her time was now spent fixing things since Vegeta had come to live with them. He kept her busy but not in the way Maiza was talking about. "He's a bit of a reluctant fish I'm trying to land, actually."

"Do I know him?" Maiza asked with interest, wondering what sort of guy wouldn't want to be landed by Bulma Briefs. The girl was filthy rich after all and quite beautiful. She was also pretty opinionated and bossy but most of the guys in high school had just taken that as a challenge. A challenge none of them had been able to handle, Maiza silently added to herself.

"Not that I know of." Bulma answered truthfully. As far as she knew Maiza had only seen Vegeta from a distance. He was always rude to people so she never really went out of her way to introduce him to anyone. Especially not someone like Maiza who'd go running away in terror in under a minute.

"Well you'll certainly knock him to his knees tonight, Miss. Briefs." The manicurist assured her client. The girl was stunning to begin with but once they'd gotten done with her this mystery man would be lucky not to swallow his tongue.

"Oh, that's the plan." Bulma assured them with a wink. "He has no idea just what he's in store for. He'll never know what hit him."

* * *

The mangled pieces of metal and wire, once a sparring droid, hit the wall with a satisfying crunch. Dusting his hands off Vegeta studied the new dents in the wall and wished the wall was that stupid woman's head. How dare she just go off like that. She hadn't even come in to say good bye to him. He'd gone in for dinner to find a note by the phone with a brief good bye and take out numbers on it. Take out numbers, damn her to hell. Who did she think she was toying with here? He was the king of a planet, the greatest planet to ever exist in the history of all the universes. Purposely forgetting that said planet had been destroyed and his so called master race pretty much obliterated Vegeta continued to mentally rant. How dare she just go off, leaving him here alone while she went off and did who knows what. She was his property and she should damn well do what he told her to. He hadn't asked to get involved with her. She'd brought that on herself and it was time she realized the consequences of getting involved with him. She couldn't just cast him aside when it suited her. The way you do to her, a sly voice whispered in his ear. Forcefully pushing that thought out of his head, something he was quite used to concerning his conscience, Vegeta concentrated on the one key point. Bulma was out somewhere, possibly with another man. As he stood here some pathetic, weak human could be putting his hands on Bulma. HIS Bulma. Cracking his knuckles in agitation Vegeta looked around for something to break only to find that he'd already broken everything in the room. Even the tables and chair he kept in one corner for quick meals. Cursing in frustration Vegeta stopped when he realized he'd begun to pace. She'd reduced him to pacing, Vegeta thought in horror, fear running down his spine. A brainless, bossy human female had reduced him to pacing. Feeling decidedly dizzy all of a sudden Vegeta sat down hard on the concrete, fighting the urge to drop his head into his hands. When, by all the gods, had that idiotic hellion wormed her way so far through his defenses that he actually cared what she was doing. He was so full of anger, just like when she'd been hurt weeks ago by that bastard in the park. He'd never known bloodlust like that, even when it came for his need to destroy Freiza. That had been out of basic hatred and revenge. This was deeper, a more primal calling to the blood. Calling for the shedding of blood.

* * *

Drawing back his fist he slammed it into the floor, leaving a rather large hole through the concrete as he withdrew it. Not surprised that that had done nothing to calm him Vegeta got to his feet, a stubborn look coming into his eyes. He wasn't going to let that woman do this to him. He was a Saiyan, the last true example of the greatness that had been his race. He was not going to let himself be bothered by the doings of some human female. She had been nothing more then a distraction and it was time to treat her as such. From this moment forward she's nothing more then another servant, Vegeta told himself, crossing his arms in front of him. She'd provide him with his meals and training equipment but that was it. He wouldn't lay a hand on her unless it was necessary and even then only as a last resort. She was nothing to him. She was simply a piece of lint and he was brushing her from his sleeve, he decided with a nod, slowly relaxing as he pushed aside any thoughts that suggested he was only fooling himself. He would do it and there was nothing that stupid woman could do to change his mind. She'd made her bed and he had no intention of laying in it. Ever again. 

Pumped up by his little mental speech and full of self assurance Vegeta practiced for another two hours before he headed for the shower. Washing up he left his dirty clothes in the hamper and with a towel secured around his waist stepped into the hallway and was about to reach for his door handle when his sensitive nose picked up on several foreign scents coming from his room. Pausing Vegeta inhaled deeply, trying to identify what he was smelling. Whatever it was it was a combination of smells that smelled...like paradise, Vegeta thought in confusion. He didn't know any of the scents but the strongest of them had his head swimming and it made him think of Bulma in a way he'd sworn not to think of anymore. Cursing under his breath Vegeta reached for the knob again and opened the door. Mrs. Briefs had probably put another girlie air freshener in his room was the last logical thought in his annoyed head as he stepped into his room. Coming to a dead halt in the doorway Vegeta stared at his room, specifically at his bed, in complete and total shock.

* * *

His normal sheets were gone, replaced by sexy looking black silk sheets that looked even more inviting thanks to the white candles that surrounded both sides of his bed, flickering invitingly. That alone would have given him pause but it was who was lounging on his bed that had him feeling every single brain cell in his head die a very happy death. Dressed in some peachy, nearly sheer nightgown that dipped low to display her breasts and ended barely mid thigh, Bulma watched him with a cat that got the cream smile. Her hair artfully tousled around a sexily made up face her ruby red lips beckoned him before she'd even opened her mouth. "I thought you'd never get here. I was starting to get cold." Bulma purred, sliding a hand down one thigh, enjoying the fact that his eyes followed the motion. "You should come over here and do something about that." She added as she raised a finger to beckon him forward. Come into my web said the spider to the fly, she thought wickedly.

* * *

Obeying without a thought Vegeta moved forward, standing at the foot of his bed as he started from her prettily painted toes up to her smooth, slightly tanned legs, to the silky material of her gown which so lovingly hugged her curves. Lingering on her breasts for several moments Vegeta's eyes slowly rose up to meet her eyes which were watching him intently, those knowing eyes that promised him heaven and more. Never taking his eyes off her Vegeta got onto the bed, on hands and knees as he moved towards her, his eyes predator dark, alight with flaming hot desire. A predator who'd found his perfect opponent and intended to thoroughly enjoy every moment of the battle to come. Arms open to welcome him Bulma propped herself up on the pillows, their noses practically touching as they stared, his weight on her lower body an exciting one. Not as exciting as the look in his eyes though, Bulma though with shivers running down her spine as she turned her head slightly to place butterfly kisses on his hard lips in a teasing motion. Not surprise that his response was to crush her lips against his in a fierce mating of mouths and tongues Bulma simply held on, curving her body against his so that they fit together perfectly. As if they were made to fit, Bulma thought, biting his lower lip in approval, knowing his preferences and moods well now. Wild need and deeper, scarier emotions flowed through their heated blood as hands raced across flesh, by turns stroking and digging in as passion consumed them both. Groans and moans filled the air as his towel was quickly removed while he simply ripped her gown down the front, in too much of a hurry to be bothered. His was all he could think as he lowered his head to taste the breasts arching up to meet his mouth. She was his. 


	8. From Trapped to Pain

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the plot ideas featured in all my little stories. Thanks to all those who've been reading and reviewing, have a great day.

From Trapped to Pain

Burying his face in her soft flesh Vegeta forgot all about everything he'd lectured himself about earlier. It was always like this, he thought in the back of his mind as her hands came up to stroke his back. No matter how many times he told himself that what he was doing was wrong he just kept coming back. Coming back to her. She was his weakness, infuriating him every time with the harsh fact that he couldn't rid himself of her. He'd always been trained to find your weakness and then destroy them. How was he supposed to do that? Kill her? How could he kill her when even the thought of raising his hand to her turned his stomach. He'd never had a problem with using violence to get his way before. It wasn't her sex either. The thought of killing Bulma's mother didn't bother him overly much, only the thought of what that would do to Bulma bothered him in that instance. Turning his face to nuzzle against the valley between her breasts Vegeta looked up to find her watching her, her eyes half closed, dark blue with plaint heat and passion. She never brought it up either. Never saw his need for her as a weakness. She never used it against him either, Vegeta thought, his dark eyes going darker as she leaned up to begin trailing kisses along his jaw and down his neck. His rough, calloused hands moving to stroke her hips he smiled roguishly when she gave a little moan in the back of her throat. There would be plenty more where that came from he thought, is fingers stroking against her sensitive skin.

"So serious looking." Bulma murmured against his neck, her warm breath sending shivers down his spine. All that golden, muscular flesh, she thought, practically licking her lips in anticipation. He was all hers and she was going to make sure he realized it. "Don't you like your present?" Bulma wanted to know, nipping his ear playfully.

* * *

"I thought you had other plans." Vegeta pointed out as he rolled them over so that she was on top and he could get a good look at her face. Or at least he would have if she wasn't smiling at him in a way that had his brain begin to lose function again. It definitely had a couple blips when she shrugged out of what was left of her night gown, her body on display for his enjoyment as she looked down at him. Only a Saiyan could hold a thought in this sort of situation.

"I did. They were all related to getting your Valentines Day present just right." Bulma said wickedly, wiggling her hips which just happened to be straddling his. "I spent at least an hour deciding on that gown you just ripped. I think I should be compensated." She added teasingly, lowering her head to continue with her earlier route, placing kisses down his neck and along his shoulder. Biting down hard when his hands moved to her bottom to try and press her against him she lifted her head slightly. "Uh uh. I'm getting my compensation." She reminded him, lapping at the marks her teeth had left with her tongue. His skin was so tough she hadn't even drawn blood, Bulma thought to herself, enjoying his growl of annoyed pleasure. He liked to be in control but he liked what she was doing just as much.

Raising an eyebrow Vegeta moved his hands, bringing them around to put behind his head. She'd never bitten him hard before. Or her definition of hard, Vegeta corrected with a smirk. Just what was the little woman up to?

Pleased he was giving her her own way for the moment as least Bulma gave his shoulder one last flick of her tongue before she began trailing open mouthed kisses down his chest, enjoying the feel of those tough muscles contracting under her mouth. "Have I ever told you how much I like the taste of your skin?" Bulma inquired, encircling one of his nipples with her tongue.

"Not recently." Vegeta grounded out, his body going unforgivably weak under hers.

"Well let me show you." Bulma purred as she went about showing Vegeta how much she liked it by tasting just about every inch of skin on his body. Needless to say Vegeta's ability to think ended pretty damn quick and for once the proud warrior of the great Saiyan race was the willing conquest of a mere slip of a human girl. Who knew surrender could be so rewarding?

* * *

Waking up the next morning Vegeta opened his eyes, sleep already thrown off as his eyes automatically went to the warm body laying on top of his before shifting to the clock at his bedside table. Eyes going wide as he stared at the digits it took him a moment to process just what he was reading. How the hell could it almost be noon? He never slept past seven and that was if he was tired. Gaze turning back to Bulma he stared at her with a combination of shock and amazement. She'd..she'd worn him out to the point he had slept right through his normal routine. He'd slept half the day away. So maybe he'd gotten next to nil sleep last night but...but.. how the hell could this have happened? About to slide out from under her he froze when the reason for his late rising gave a protesting murmur, wrapping her arms tighter around his neck as she nuzzled her face against his neck, her body shifted so that it remained in perfect fit with his. Grounding his teeth Vegeta ignored her half asleep protests and slid out of bed, watching for a moment as she rolled over to lay on his side of the bed before he left the room, his destination the shower. Stepping in Vegeta turned it on and ducked his head under the warm spray, the last bit of sleep washing away with the water. Slapping hands against the tiles Vegeta leaned against the wall, his mind reeling from the blow he'd just been given out of nowhere. He'd told himself that the woman would never affect his life in any noticeable way. Even before he'd decided to cut ties with her he'd done it for no other reason then she seemed to be getting attached. He wasn't interested in anything but sex from the woman and dealing with her outside the bedroom was an annoyance he didn't need. At least that was what he'd assumed. Yet here he stood, in the shower having just woken up even though it was almost time for lunch. He should have gotten in at the very least five hours of training in by now. Because of Bulma the only sweat he'd worked up had had nothing to do with training exercises.

* * *

When had she become so powerful that she could cause him to miss his training? She'd somehow completely overridden his body's functions. He always woke up at six in the morning, regardless of what time he went to bed. His body had decided instead that it would rather stay in bed and waste six perfectly good hours of training for some mindless physical satisfaction. When had he fallen so far in disgrace? When had he grown so soft and..human like. Humans were the ones who let themselves be ruled by their basic needs. The ones who were too weak to be able to control and regulate those needs. He could regulate the hours he slept, how much he ate and push his body beyond the limits of even the most hard core trainer's standards. But he couldn't control his need for her. He couldn't just turn his need for her on and off. It had to be all for nothing. Which was exactly what he'd told himself before he'd walked into his room the night before. And all it had taken was the sight of her to make him forget everything. To make him need her more then he needed his next breath. She had power over him. Too much power. As degrading as it was to admit he, a Saiyan prince had let a human female have the power to weaken him. To have him bend to her will. If this kept up she could make him do anything. Give up all his plans and become just like those pathetic weaklings she was friends with. Civilize him as she liked to put it. Give up his heritage, his pride and his very being. Shame flooding through he leaned his head against the cool tile, his eyes clenched tight as he used what strength he had to continue standing. No. No he couldn't let that happen. He couldn't betray his people, his line like that. He was a Saiyan Prince, doomed never to be king because there was no Saiyans left to lead. It was up to him to remain as an example of what his people had been. He had to be strong. He had to overcome this weakness. Never again. Never again would he let her weaken him this way. It ended today.

* * *

It was the Vegeta of old that finally stepped out of the shower. Drying his hair off quickly he tied the towel around his waist as he had the night before and headed back to his room. Ignoring the woman still laying under the black silk sheets he went over to his dresser and retrieving his clothes got dressed and left her where she was. Heading out he paused for a moment, fighting the urge to turn his head, just to look at her once more. But this time he was able to fight the urge and left, closing the door behind him without another glance. He would go straight to training and make up for lost time.

He'd been training for about an hour when he felt her eyes on him. Pausing in midair he looked down to see her watching him, dressed in only one of his shirts which just hit her mid thigh. Slowly lowering to the ground he kept his cold, harsh black eyes on her.

Raising an eyebrow Bulma felt a chill go down her spine at the look in his eyes. It was like going back in time to the days when they'd just met. When he'd terrified her. These were not good chills running down her spine. "Uhm...hungry?" She asked hesitantly, hoping that was it. He did tend to get cranky when he hadn't eaten in a bit.

"No. Don't you have things to do today, Woman?" Vegeta asked, keeping her eyes glued to her face, refusing to look into her eyes, not wanting to see what might be lurking in those blue depths.

"Well I thought...since my parents won't be back until tomorrow night...that you and I...could do something. Maybe get a movie? One with lots of explosions?" Bulma said with a hopeful look, knowing those were the only kind of movie he'd willingly sit through. He didn't mind martial arts one but he liked them because he could spend the whole movie making fun of them. Something was wrong here, she thought, trying to read his eyes but coming up blank. It was like his face was carved of marble and just as hard.

"I have no wish to spend any more time then is necessary in your company, Woman." Vegeta said bluntly, watching as all the color drained from her face. He could practically hear the gears turning in her head. "I have no intention of repeating the past few months with you ever again. Now I have training to do. Leave."

Mouth opening Bulma tried to speak, to ask why but nothing came out. Closing her mouth she felt as though all the air had been taken out of her lungs. As though someone had reached into her chest and pulling out her heart had then stuffed it down her throat. He meant it. He really meant it. What had she done? What had she said? Eyes welling up she slowly backed up, away from him as they began to slide down her cheeks. Slowly turning around she walked out of the room and crossed the lawn, her destination the house. As soon as she'd crossed the threshold and closed the door behind her she collapsed, her chest heaving with sobs as she leaned against the wall, curling into herself as she gave herself over to the overwhelming waves of pain drowning her. Oh God, oh God. When had he come to matter so much?

* * *

When the Briefs came back from their little holiday it was to find a Vegeta obsessed with training and a daughter who was equally obsessed with avoiding Vegeta and working on her various inventions. Since no one in their right mind ever tried to question Vegeta about anything both parents tried to get something out of Bulma without luck. Their daughter stubbornly refused to tell them more then that she and Vegeta had had a difference of opinion and that they'd agreed to stay out of each other's way for the sake of their healths. To help with that Bulma put a bulletin board up which Vegeta was to leave repair notes on. Thus for a whole month and a half they got away with not talking to each other beyond the simple asking to pass food or Vegeta asking if something was finished yet. Needless to say Bulma got little sleep and created more things in that month in a half then she'd done since the beginning of that year. It showed to which worried her parents to no end. She looked paler then usual and she was obviously losing weight without doing it on purpose. She wasn't eating much and when she actually joined them for meals it was only to pick at whatever was on her plate. Vegeta ate normally but he'd shocked Mrs. Briefs by informing her that Bulma needed to eat more. She was pleased that he'd cared enough to noticed but wish the boy would do something about patching things up with her daughter instead. What must have happened, she wondered, to cause this big of a reaction?

* * *

Aware of her mother's eyes burning a hole into the back of her head Bulma deliberately went over to the kitchen table and picking an apple out of the fruit bowl bit in. She wasn't hungry but she knew it would make her mother happy. Chewing without tasting Bulma looked over at the clock, absently doing the math in her head. "I have to go in about fifteen minutes, Mom. Do you need anything while I'm out?" She'd promised to take Gohan shopping for a present of his mother and even though she wasn't feeling well a promise was a promise. Besides, if she didn't take Gohan Goku would do it. The last thing she needed was to have Goku sleeping over here because Chi Chi had kicked him out of the house again. Her best friend had the worst taste when it came to buying his special someone something.

"No, you just have a good time." Mrs. Briefs said with a wide smile, glad Bulma was at least going out. The girl certainly hadn't shown any interest outside of her work in a while. She'd even stopped worrying about her make up in the morning!

"I'm just going to go get changed then." Bulma said with a small smile before heading up to her room. Tossing the barely touched apple into the trash when she got there she changed out of her work stained clothes and not wanting Chi Chi to notice anything was up deliberately dressed for a day out shopping. Frowning when she realized her pants were really loose Bulma went over to the mirror and stared, seeing for the first time just how much weight she'd lost. When you lived in sweat pants it was hard to notice. God. She needed to eat more, Bulma thought, turning this way and that as she gazed at her reflection. Some of it could be blamed on her bout of the flu last week but the majority could be blamed..on well Vegeta. Frowning she decided then and there that she was taking Gohan out to a fast food place and she was gonna pig out. This weight was coming back on. Choosing a T-shirt she dug around until she found her overalls dress. It sorta hid how much weight she'd lost, even if she was a little too old for the style. What the hell, she was going retro. Nodding her head she stared in the mirror, giving her the best pep talk she could come up with before heading out, intending to have fun with Gohan and start her life back on track. No Saiyan asshole was going to screw her life like this. She was one tough, independent bad ass and no man was going to prove differently.

* * *

"Wow, Bulma. You sure were hungry. You almost ate as much as me." Gohan said with a grin as they left the fast food joint.

Yeah, and she was feeling. Feeling just a little sick Bulma gave Gohan a weak smile. She hadn't been hungry but she'd made herself eat until her body just couldn't take anymore. She should have eased into the eating enough, Bulma thought, cursing silently.

"Hey, are you okay?" Gohan asked, tugging on her arm gently. "You don't look so good."

"I'm fine." Bulma assured her then had to take that back as her vision started to blue in front of her. "Oh crap."

"Bulma?"

"Gohan..I think...I think I'm going to faint. Sorry." Was the last thing she managed to say before she pitched forward, unconscious before Gohan's hands had even reached out to grab her.

* * *

Waking up Bulma looked up to see a man she didn't know looking down at her. Blinking Bulma tried to get her bearings but had absolutely no idea where exactly she was. "You're at a clinic, Ms. Briefs." She was informed by the man before she could ask. "Your friend Gohan had you brought here, he's in the waiting room right now. How are you feeling?"

"I knew I shouldn't have tried to gain back all that weight at once." Bulma groaned, her head hurting, not to mention that her stomach was far from settled. Realizing she hadn't answered his question Bulma turned her attention back to the man, presumably a doctor. "I have a headache and my stomach is a little unsettled. Is that why I fainted? Because I ate too much after not eating right for so long?"

"Is there a reason you've been skipping meals, Ms. Briefs?"

"I haven't been hungry. Normally when I get dumped I turn to food for comfort but in this case it was sorta the opposite." Bulma said with a sigh, seeing no point in lying to the guy. Forcing herself to sit up the world spun a bit but it passed so that she was left with the headache and a feeling she wasn't going to be eating anything for a while despite her resolution. "Don't worry, I've already realized the problem. Today was the day my eat properly resolution went into effect. A little late from the looks of it, huh?"

"Well you certainly should be eating properly and it is good that you realized that you were causing your body damage." The doctor began, her comment about a break up making him think his next question might not go over well. "And eating so much so soon wasn't the best way to go about things. I suggest you try a week of less solid foods and then work up to the junk food your friend Gohan said you inhaled earlier."

"Oh, poor Gohan. He's got to be worried sick." Bulma said as she chewed absently on her lower lip, feeling just awful for dragging the poor guy into all of this. "I better go let him know I'm all right. He's probably thinking the worst."

* * *

"Ms. Briefs...there's no delicate way of saying this. Is it possible you might be pregnant? Your friend Gohan said that you had had an unusual flu last week. That you were going to go shopping then but that you'd had fits of nausea and were extremely tired without having done anything particularly physical. He also said you looked unwell before you picked him up and that even though your shopping trip was brief it seemed to wear you out quickly. Could you tell me if you've had your period lately?"

Mouth hanging open Bulma was all set to tell him she had when she realized she hadn't. Mind racing she realized she hadn't even noticed she'd skipped it this month. Oh God. Staring at the doctor with no words coming out of her mouth Bulma slowly nodded her head.

"Shall we find out then?" The doctor said kindly, holding out a pregnancy test he'd brought with him, just in case. The symptoms had been there after all and it never hurt to be prepared, especially after listening to the boy's explanation of what his patient had been like the last couple of weeks.

A few minutes later she had her answer.

She was pregnant.

She was carrying the heir to a non existent planet.

She was carrying Vegeta's child.


	9. From Pain to A Purpose

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the plot situations I put them in. Everything else belongs to somebody else so give them the credit where credit is due. Thanks to all those who've been reading and hope you enjoy this latest chapter in this story of mine.

From Pain To A Purpose

When Bulma finally got home that night she was still in a pretty big daze. She'd been aware enough that she was pretty sure she'd gotten most of what the doctor had told her. If she hadn't she had all the stuff he'd written down before she and Gohan had left. Poor Gohan, he had to be so confused, Bulma thought as she started to walk up her front steps, sitting down on her porch rather then go inside right away. She'd give him some story about still being sick but she was pretty sure the sharp kid hadn't bought it. Damn it. How was one supposed to come up with a decent lie at a time like this anyway? Here she was, unmarried and about as dumped as a person could get by the father of her unborn child. At least she could afford to take care of both of them but what was Vegeta going to say? He didn't miss much, even when he was acting like she'd never existed in his jerk world. Well that and once baby grew a bit it would probably become glaringly obvious that she had a half Saiyan on her hands. Would he or she have a tail too, Bulma wondered, imagining the nurses and doctor's reaction to that little surprise. Stifling a chuckle Bulma had to smile for a moment before sinking back into her slightly depressive state. This was not how she'd pictured her life turning out. There was supposed to be a ring around her finger before she had a bun in the oven. This was supposed to be where there was a big party and everyone celebrated and she felt on top of the world. As it was her friends were all likely to keel over in shock and who knew what the father of the baby would do. He had a big thing against humans so how would having a half human son or daughter sit with him? Not well at all. How did she feel about having a half Saiyan baby for that matter, Bulma pondered, having to think about that one.

* * *

On the one hand having a son just like Vegeta would send her to an early grave if said son or Vegeta didn't send her there first. But if she was his mother then he couldn't turn out as badly as Vegeta, right? After all she'd love him and take care of him, never let all the terrible things that had happened to Vegeta happen to their son. There was no reason her son couldn't turn out to be just like Gohan. Plus a half Saiyan son would come in handy when she needed help with something or if she were in some sort of trouble. It wasn't like his daddy would be in any rush to save her now after all. Maybe a son or a daughter would even soften up Vegeta bit. Then again, maybe not, Bulma thought, imagining quite clearly in her mind just what Vegeta's response to all this was going to be. He was going to be so furious, maybe even take it out on her. She hadn't been afraid of him for a while now but this, well this was something that could push him in that direction. Of course she could use the argument that no matter how he looked at it any child of his, with anyone for the mother was still only going to be half Saiyan. Plus it was obvious just how powerful Gohan was getting every day. She even thought the boy was going to surpass Vegeta and Goku, not that she'd ever say so. That would send Vegeta into a snit to end all snits. Plus Vegeta would end up dead trying to kill off Gohan before the kid got any stronger. She wasn't sure if she could ever forgive him if he killed her godson, Dragonballs or not.

Oh how had she ended up like this, Bulma wondered, framing her face in her hands. Well obviously she knew how she'd ended up pregnant but what she didn't get was why, after all these years it had to be Vegeta. Why did he have to be the one to knock her up? There were plenty of other guys out there that were much better Daddy material. This is what happens when you introduce a Saiyan to edible body lotion, Bulma thought darkly, slumping forward slightly.

Trying to picture a little Vegeta she had the sudden image of one of her old Treasure Trolls. Vegeta's hair did sorta...Oh dear God! Bursting out into laughter Bulma forgot all her worries as she wrapped her arms around her waist, her whole body shaking with laughter as she pictured her former lover's hair. She'd never quite thought of it that way but now that she had...oh god but the next time she saw him there was no way she was going to be able to keep a straight face. It took her a good ten minutes to get herself completely under control but when she did she did it with a smile. She felt so much better now. Hugging her stomach she smiled. Whatever happened, she was going to love this baby more then any baby had ever been loved before. If his or her daddy didn't want to be involved well then she'd find someway to fill that gap or die trying.

* * *

Determined and in control now Bulma got to her feet, brushing her butt off before heading for the door, letting herself in. Stepping out of her shoes she headed inside and clutching the bag of stuff she'd bought at the pharmacy on the way back she tried to be as quiet as possible. She did not want to run into anyone while she had this stuff on her. No such luck. Stopping in her tracks when she came face to face with her mother Bulma prayed her mother wouldn't notice the bag logo.

"Sweetie?" Bulma's mother began with a frown, picking up a definite nervous vibe coming off her daughter. Bulma was hiding something, she thought, her eyes narrowing slightly as she studied her daughter. Eyes landing on the bag she zeroed in on the one thing Bulma had been trying to hide. "What did you need to buy at the pharmacy."

"They're vitamins." Bulma blurted out, this part being true at least. "Uhm...with all the weight I've lost I thought it was a good idea to pick some up..to get me back on track." There was some other stuff but most of it was vitamins for making her body as baby ready as possible.

"Oh, well you could have just asked me, darling. I have plenty of vitamins." Bulma's mother pointed out, still slightly suspicious. After all why would Bulma be nervous about buying some vitamins? Unless the girl was just self conscious about losing so much weight, especially over Vegeta. While her daughter might prefer to think so she wasn't blind. She was well aware that something had been going on between Vegeta and Bulma, something that had ended up ending very, very, badly.

"Well I'm just going to stick this stuff in my room then have a small nap. I got a little dizzy while we were at the mall and I promised Gohan I would take a nap when I got back. Could you wake me up for supper though? I'm not skipping any more meals, ever." Bulma informed her mother, a determined look in her eye. She was eating for two now and her baby was counting on her to feed him lots of good things to help him grow. And what baby wanted, baby was going to get.

"Of course." Her mother replied, coming over to kiss her daughter's forehead, giving her a quick hug. "You go lay down and rest."

"Thanks, Mom." Giving her mother a grateful squeeze Bulma let go then with a slight wave headed up to her room. Storing all her stuff away in the medicine cabinet she returned to her bedroom and stretching out on her bed settled in for a quick cat nap. After all, she was going to need all her strength to face Vegeta tonight. That was not going to be fun.

* * *

Taking his seat at the dinner table Vegeta's frown deepened when he saw that once again Bulma wasn't there. She couldn't keep skipping meals like this or her weak body was going to give out, he thought, his eyes drifting to her empty seat. If she kept this up he was going to start force feeding the stupid idiot. It wasn't like her parents could stop him anyway. They were even worried and those two were usually off in their own little worlds half the time. Was she trying to punish him perhaps? Making herself sick so that he'd feel guilty for the way he'd spoken to her before? No, not even Bulma would stoop that low. She was tricky and conniving when she wanted something but she was too proud of her body to ruin it over him. She certainly wasn't trying to lure him back though. There was nothing appealing about her current figure and he missed her generous curves. The way she was headed he was going to be seeing her ribs soon.

"Have a good day of training, Vegeta?" Mr. Briefs asked as he took his seat at the head of the table.

Not one for small talk Vegeta considered ignoring the man but found he missed talking to another person. Normally he'd have spent at least part of the day bitching with Bulma but since the day in the training room they had yet to exchange more then a handful of sentences. He'd never thought the day would come when he missed interacting with another human being but he missed Bulma like a never healing wound. Damn her and damn him. Damn them both. "Fine." He finally said, turning his head to look at the old man. Thankfully Bulma had gotten her looks from her mother's side of the family. "Where are they?" He added, motioning towards Mrs. Briefs and Bulma's chairs.

* * *

"Oh, they'll be down any minute. Apparently Bulma was feeling a little off again this afternoon so she promised Gohan she'd take a nap when they got back from shopping." Mr. Briefs explained, frowning slightly before brightening a little. "But Bulma insisted that she be woken up for dinner which is good. I've been a bit worried what with all the meals she's been skipping recently. One of her fad diets no doubt. I keep telling her she's perfect as she is but women never believe you when you tell them that."

Grunting in response Vegeta easily hid his relief. So she was coming to dinner, that was good. Turning his attention to the food on the table Vegeta felt his appetite stirring now that he knew she'd be there and eating for a change. Or at least she better not pull any more of that shuffling her food around on her place trick. She was going to eat on her own or he was going to make her. Looking up when he sensed her presence he watched her take her seat, looking as thin as usual only there was a light in her eyes he hadn't seen in a while. She was almost..glowing? Vegeta wondered, trying to put his finger on it. There was definitely something different about her though. Eyes narrowing slightly he flinched slightly when she caught him staring, returning her gaze with more spirit then she'd shown in the entire month and a half.

Holding his gaze defiantly Bulma was pleased when he was the first to look away. Having won the battle, however small, she turned her eyes to the table, scanning the menu for the evening. She wasn't hungry but she was going to fill her plate and she was going to eat all of it. Taking some of everything handed to her Bulma began eating with a determined focus.

"You certainly have an appetite tonight, Baby." Bulma's mother said in delight, beaming at her daughter like Bulma had just won a Nobel Prize. It was so good to see her baby eating again. Especially on her own without anyone nagging her into it.

"Just making up for lost intake." Was Bulma's summary as she forced herself to keep at it until her plate was clean. Sitting back she felt mildly sick to her stomach but she was determined that it was all going to stay down. That and throwing up would just ruin her mood right now. It was really difficult to stay positive while Vegeta was in the room.

* * *

After everyone was done eating Bulma helped her mother with the dishes then decided to go for a walk. The night air would do her good and she wasn't tired at all thanks to her nap. Grabbing her coat Bulma headed out, wandering around the grounds with no destination in mind. It felt good just to be moving and thinking positive for once. God but she'd let Vegeta just suck the life right out of her, hadn't she? It was rather ironic since a life was what she'd been encouraging him to get since she'd known him. Hands in her pockets Bulma stopped and staring up at the sky wondered just what was going to happen now. She knew she had to tell Vegeta, there was just no getting around it. How long she waited to tell him was the question. He wouldn't know anything about human pregnancy so it wasn't like he would know how far to count back to figure out when this baby was conceived. If she went out with someone now she could lie to him for a while and say it was someone else's. Of course Vegeta might try to kill said innocent guy so that probably wasn't the best idea. Speaking of dates...would the fact that she was having a Saiyan baby affect how long she was pregnant. She couldn't even remember how things had been with Chi Chi but she'd find some excuse to ask the younger woman about it.

Sensing his presence before she saw him Bulma's eyes turned to a nearby tree where she could just make him out in the shadows, sitting on a limb of one of their trees. He was also watching her. "Star gazing?" Bulma asked, pulling her hands out of her pockets as she crossed her arms in front of her in an instinctively protective move.

Surprised she was talking to him Vegeta raised an eyebrow, his attention on her as it had been since she'd wandered into his line of vision. "Yes." He replied, waiting to see if she'd stay or go.

"It's a pretty good night for it." Bulma said softly, more to herself then him though his sensitive ears picked it up. "I'll leave you to it."

"You need to keep eating the way you did tonight."

"What?" Bulma said dumbly, staring at Vegeta in surprise. Of all the things that could have come out of his mouth that definitely had not been on her list. Why would he care about her eating habits? He didn't care about her period.

"You're too thin. You're weak enough without making it worse by not eating." Vegeta said bluntly, figuring that since he'd opened his mouth he might as well make it clear that she was going to have to continue eating on a regular basis.

Mouth open in shock Bulma didn't know what to think. He'd not only noticed her eating habits but he was actually bringing them up for discussion? She'd kept up with his repairs so it wasn't like she wasn't getting his stuff done. So why would he care about what she was doing to her body. It wasn't a sex appeal thing, he'd made it clear he was more likely to marry Krillin then try to get her naked again. So what was it? Why was he saying, commanding even, that she eat more? He couldn't possibly know about the baby so he had to be..worried about her?

* * *

Taking her silence as a rebellion against following orders Vegeta hopped down from the tree and strolled over to her, a deep frown on his face. "And that wasn't a suggestion, Onna." Vegeta added, just to make himself perfectly clear on this. "I'm telling you. You'll eat more or else."

"Vegeta...why do you care what I eat?" Bulma asked quietly, letting the calling her woman and the whole command thing go for the moment. Right now she wanted to know why he was saying these things.

Damn. He couldn't think of a good excuse other then the obvious. He didn't want her to make herself sick. Even if she wasn't starving herself she was still likely doing damage to her body, possibly damage that couldn't be repaired even if Bulma snapped out of this whole not eating thing. Watching her watch him intently Vegeta forced himself not to say something mean or nasty to get out of this. After all if he did that she might not eat just to spite him or something equally bad. "I simply don't like the way you look right now." Vegeta offered up as an excuse, not sure if it would work. He really didn't expect it to either.

"But you don't like me period."

"I don't recall saying that." Vegeta pointed out, wincing as soon as the words were out of his mouth. That was too close to saying he did like her and he'd sooner cut off his own tongue then admit that. Not that it was true, he assured himself. But if it was he still would never say such a thing. Least of all to her.

"But it's true, isn't it?" Bulma pressed, stepping closer to him. "You don't like me, Vegeta. Right?"

* * *

"Have I mentioned lately that I've seen corpses that look healthier then you have lately?" Vegeta shot back, trying to sidestep the trap she was trying to spring. Oh no, no way in hell. They were not going there if he had anything to say about it. What was it with human females and talking about their feelings anyway? It was creepy.

"If you tell me the honest truth I promise I'll eat right from now on." She would do it anyway but he didn't know that. Nothing like a bit of emotional blackmail to get what you wanted. That was if he cared enough about her to give in.

Glaring at her fiercely Vegeta envisioned strangling her with his bare hands, a familiar image that he had down pack after years of wanting to do it. The damn exasperating woman.

"It's up to you. If you really want me eating more that is." Bulma added as a final nudge. The rest was up to Vegeta.

"I don't dislike you."

Well he'd sounded like a grumpy bear rudely woken up from hibernation but he had answered her. Truthfully too. More confused then satisfied Bulma didn't know what to think. Asking him if he liked her wouldn't get her anywhere. Even if she did he could lie straight to her face without her being the wiser. "Good to know." Bulma said instead, giving him a slight smile. "Now if you'll excuse me; I'm going to head inside. See you at breakfast tomorrow."


	10. From Purpose to Discovery

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations I put them in. Everything else belongs to somebody else so be sure to give credit where credit is due. Thanks to all of my loyal reviewers, I hope you enjoy this latest chapter. Thanks.

From Purpose to Discovery

It came as a shock to everyone when a week after Bulma had started to actively care about her health she announced she was going on a vacation. She claimed that she'd been exhausting herself and that she needed to relax and meditate on where her life was going. Which was mostly true at least. The other part was avoiding Vegeta while she came to a decision on how to tell him their news. Needless to say Vegeta was not pleased that she was going, after all who would do his repairs and invent him new things to destroy. At least that was his vocal reason and he was sticking behind it. Bulma's parents weren't thrilled with it either, in tune with their daughter enough to know that something was up. But she was an adult and it wasn't like anyone could really stop their daughter once she got it into her head to do something. And so she set out, calling once a week to check in with her family, never seeming to be in the same place twice. It would be three months before the remaining residents of the Briefs household would begin going out of their respective minds with worry, thanks in part to poor Gohan. After a while all his constant phone calls and dropping in for news about Bulma became just too suspicious to ignore. Even Goku picked up on it and he wasn't exactly known for being the most observant guy around. Finally the adults were able to weasel out of him that he thought Bulma might be really ill and that that's why she'd gone away. His description of her collapsing then spending a really long time talking to the doctor had everyone in a tizzy, especially when they couldn't get ahold of Bulma because she wasn't answering her cell phone. Everyone but Vegeta descending into chaotic worry soon Goku was sent to find an alien he knew on a nearby planet that possessed the skills to projected the position of any person provided he had something that belonged to that person. It took him seven hours but Goku finally returned with the alien who was handed one of Bulma's favorite jackets. Holding it in his hands he closed his eyes then lifting his right hand into the air raised it to eye level on a plain wall. Slowly a swirling pattern appeared on the wall from bottom to top, slowly becoming swirling color before coming into focus to show a healthy looking Bulma walking down a street with another girl who looked a little like her.

* * *

She was fine, Vegeta thought, inwardly sighing in relief. In fact she looked a hell of a lot better then she had the last time he'd seen her. She'd gotten her figure back and even looked like she'd gained a bit more. There was color in her cheeks and she was laughing at whatever the other woman was saying.

"She's with her cousin." Mrs. Briefs was saying, doing the huge sigh of relief for Vegeta. "And she looks just fine."

"Do you wish to hear what they're saying, Goku san?" The alien asked, never taking his eyes on the wall.

"Sure, why not." Goku replied with a shrug, a big smile on his face now that he knew she was fine. She was one of his best friends after all and Gohan had gotten them all pretty worried. Looks like it had just been the flu like Bulma had said.

Soon the room filled with the mindless chatter of the two women, the alien just about to stop a few moments later when Bulma's words stopped them all in their tracks.

* * *

"Damn, he is following us." Bulma hissed, grabbing her cousin's arm before Lana could give away the fact that they were aware of the silent shadow they'd picked up. "Don't turn around."

"But who is he?" Lana hissed, fear coming into her eyes. "He's been following us for five blocks now. I think we should stop and call the police or something. We're not Goku, Bulma. This guy could be a mass murderer or something."

"What he is is an alien." Bulma said darkly, keeping a tight grip on her cousin in case Lana got it into her head to do something stupid.

"How can you tell? He looks normal." Lana argued, even though neither of them had gotten more then a few glimpses of the guy.

"When you're around them enough you get a sixth sense about this sort of thing. The question is..what the hell does he want? Normally they have a reason for bothering me which usually has to do with one of the guys but they aren't even on this continent." Bulma muttered, more to herself then to Lana. "Well...there's only one way to find out. You head on to the club without me. I'll met you there. And before you tell me that I'm nuts I'm well aware of that. But if you're with me you'll just get in the way. So go now and no arguments." Luckily Lana was essentially pretty air headed and cowardly because she only made a couple half hearted protests before hurrying off while Bulma turned around, standing her ground. Slowly the man who'd been following them detached himself from the crowd, the two locking eyes.

* * *

Walking wearily towards her the man looked around nervously before walking until he was a foot from her, a hesitant smile on his face. He was shorter then she was by half a foot with average looks and build. He didn't look threatening but Bulma wasn't about to let her guard down any time soon. "What gave me away?" The man asked hesitantly in Japanese, looking at her questioningly.

"I know when I'm being followed. What do you want with me?"

"I don't mean you any harm, I assure you." The alien hastened to assure her, not sure what sort of threat she was after all. "I'm simply an observer, nothing more. I apologize if I frightened or upset you in any way. This is what my species does, you see. We observe and record the histories and cultures of other races. My name is Akithos."

"So you're just here to observe Earth culture." Bulma said suspiciously, obviously not buying it.

"Well not exactly, You see we, my kind, ruled your planet as not being worth studying. You're a fairly primitive race, no offense, and you aren't big enough or old enough to have amassed much of a history. I only decided to come here because I heard there were two Saiyans living here. That's why I was following you."

"How did you know I knew them?" Bulma demanded to know, looking surprised and even more suspicious now. Just how long had he been following her? Had he tracked her down from her place? Why did he want to see Goku and Vegeta? "If you've come to cause them problems you're going to have to get through me first, shortie. I may not look it but I can and will kick your alien ass back to whatever planet it is you're from."

"Actually, not even a Saiyan has the physical strength to do that." Akithos said with a chuckle though he still watched her wearily. She was unkown after all. "And as to how I knew that you knew them..well that's sort of complicated. Because they're Saiyans, Saiyan males in particular, I knew it was best if I approached them cautiously. We don't have a lot in our databases on them because they were such a violent and closed culture. Only the bravest and most determined of my kind attempted to infiltrate that culture for research. Getting caught pretty much guaranteed inhumane torture and an eventual very unpleasant death. That was why I was so surprised to hear stories that two of their males were here. We all thought that the Saiyans were wiped out and if these two would be willing to talk to me..well the information I might be able to get out of them would be invaluable to us and worth a pretty penny."

* * *

"Goku won't be able to tell you anything and Vegeta won't talk to you." Bulma informed the alien bluntly, watching the man slump dejectedly before getting a peculiar look on his face. "What?"

"Did you say Vegeta? He must have been a truly high ranking Saiyan to have been allowed that name. You said that he won't talk to me so would I be wrong in assuming that he does in fact have knowledge of his people's culture and history?"

"Oh he's very steeped in being as Saiyan as possible." Bulma drawled out, crossing her arms in front of her. "And trust me when I say that approaching him will only lead to your untimely death. I live with the guy so I know."

"Exactly, that's why I was following you. I'm confused as to who exactly you are though. You said that he's very steeped in the old ways which means there's no way he'd consider making you his emura but you don't bear the mark of a padma and you certainly don't behave or have the mark of a jitsu either."

"I have no idea what any of those are." Bulma stated bluntly though there was a look of curiosity in her blue eyes. "What do they mean?"

"Well an emura is like a spouse in your language. Saiyans of the lower classes usually didn't bother with such things but in the higher classes, where rank and lineage was of importance Saiyan males would take emuras as their bond mates for life. Basically it meant that any sons they fathered with that female were his heirs and those fathered with other women were not. A padma is similar to your mistress or concubine. They were like extra wives who could provide the Saiyan male with sons if his bond mate could not or if he grew displeased with her. A jitsu is a female slave."

* * *

"Okay...I can thankfully say from the bottom of my heart then I am none of those." Bulma said slowly, processing the alien's definitions. Well that certainly explained Vegeta's treatment of most women as nothing but objects. Apparently that was a staple belief of his culture. "And what do you mean marks? Did they brand their women or something?"

"Their female slaves, yes. They often had the crest of their master burned onto their thigh as a warning to others of just who she belonged to. They were also..I believe you call it castration? Where they are no longer capable of carrying a child?" Akithos asked, a questioning look on his face while Bulma's went to horror. "It was because of the Saiyans obsession with pure blood. They couldn't risk any half blooded Saiyan children being born. Any that were found out to be so were automatically put to death. The same would be done to any Saiyan male who attempted to have a foreign female as his emura."

"Wait, they'd kill a guy for wanting to marry a woman that wasn't a Saiyan? They KILLED innocent babies because they weren't completely Saiyan?" Bulma demanded to know, her hands automatically going to her stomach protectively.

"Well that's really not an issue now, now is it? The one Saiyan male, the one you called Goku is unaware of his culture's traditions and therefore will have no knowledge of them. As it is I'm assuming he's the one with a human wife and a half blooded son?" Akithos asked, nodding when Bulma nodded a yes to his question. "There you go. And as for the other male, well if he wants his line to continue he has no choice but to put aside the old ways. If he doesn't then he's leaving the continuation of his culture in the hands of a man who knows nothing of it and therefore cannot pas it down to the generations. You and your pompara are safe. Since he has no claim on you it is not his choice as to what can happen to either of you. By human laws as I understand them anyway."

* * *

It didn't take a genius to know that somehow he knew she was pregnant and Bulma flushed slightly. "Like that would stop him." She muttered, mulling everything over before looking at him curiously. "You seem to know a lot about Saiyans despite your claims."

"Well the basics of any culture aren't hard to learn. Their language, laws and societal governings are, in general, found out simply by access their most basic data. We know plenty of bits of information but not much of the hows and whys behind them if you get what I mean."

"I understand." Bulma said with a nod, sliding her hands into her pockets. "Could I..maybe have access to the information you have? On the Saiyan culture I mean. Goku's son, Gohan, might be interested even if Goku won't be. I..I'd like to know too."

"Hmm, I don't see why I couldn't. For a suitable trade." Akithos said with a considering look on his face. There was a gleam to his eye too that suggested he was up to something.

"What sort of trade?" Bulma wanted to know, eyes narrowing. Her mother hadn't raised no fool, especially when it came to the sly words of a man.

"I'd like to hear the stories of your Saiyans' exploits." Akithos explained eagerly, looking like a kid begging his mother for something from the toy store. "Especially their defeat of the powerful Freiza who was responsible for the destruction of the Saiyan race. I'm sure you have many stories about them that would make for interesting retelling. Especially since few people ever survived a Saiyan attack to give some idea as to just how powerful they were and what special abilities they possessed that made them so feared and revered."

"I could do that." Bulma agreed with a nod, holding out her hand. Seeing the alien's blank look she explained. "In this culture we shake hands as a way of informally agreeing to something. It's like a verbal contract."

"Fascinating. I know of several other cultures who do something similar." Akithos said, taking her hand and shaking it. "Do you know where your version originated from?"

"Actually, I do." Bulma said with a smile as the two started to walk down the street where she had no doubt her cousin was pacing a trench into the concrete. "It's from Medieval Times when warriors would do it to show the fact that they weren't armed. By holding out their right hand to each other they were leaving their weapon hand vulnerable and unusable."

"Primitive but effective."

* * *

"Is it necessary to continue showing you all this. Now that we have confirmed he means her no threat?" Goku's friend asked as Bulma and the alien began talking about some foreign culture he'd never heard about.

"Vegeta, do you think it's safe?" Mrs. Briefs asked, turning to look at the Saiyan only to find the usually cold and collected man looking just a little pale and shell shocked. "Vegeta? Vegeta!" She yelled, rushing over to shake Vegeta. "Is she in danger?"

"What?" Vegeta said dumbly, struggling to focus on what the woman was saying. "No. He's a Kurenian. They're harmless, nosey twits. A human child could beat them to a pulp. All they care about is gathering the most gossip and information about every culture they stumble across." While Mrs. Briefs let go of her death grip on his shoulders he didn't even feel it. All he could think about was that alien's off handed comment. He'd said that Bulma didn't have to worry about her pompara. Pompara was an old Saiyan term for a mixed blood Saiyan child. A child. And Bulma's hands had automatically gone protectively to her stomach. Was it possible? Could she..be with child? His child? It would explain how the alien had not only found her but sought her out. It wasn't unusual for a Saiyan female's ki to increase along with the growth of the baby's inside the womb as a result of the child's presence within her body. Because Bulma was merely a human the increased ki would have been very noticeable, especially to someone who was looking for Saiyans. The best way to track them after all would be through their superior ki levels. It would also explain why the Kurenian had asked about what label Bulma fell under. If she was carrying a Saiyan child, even one of half blood, then she should have born his mark of ownership to make her status clear. Hell.

* * *

"I think you can stop now." Goku said as he slapped his alien friend on the shoulder. Nodding the alien dropped his hand, the voices and images automatically disappearing. "Thanks again for coming here and helping us out. We were all pretty worried about Bulma but looks like she's just fine."

"I'm glad your friend is all right, Goku san. No thanks is necessary. Without you my planet would have been destroyed after all. Any assistance I might be able to provide you is my pleasure and honor."

"Uhm, what does pompara mean?" Gohan wanted to know, looking at Vegeta questioningly.

Thinking fast Vegeta thanked all the gods and goddesses that this boy was completely ignorant of his father's culture. "Family. He was referring to her parents."

"Oh." Gohan said with a slightly confused look on his face. That didn't exactly make a whole lot of sense to him but why would Vegeta lie?

"Well when she calls to check in I bet she'll have all sorts of stories to tell us about her new friend." Mr. Briefs said with a hearty laugh now that he knew that everything was okay. Most fathers would be a little worried about their daughter going off with some alien from another planet but not him. His little girl had been doing it since she was a teenager after all.

"Where abouts is she?" Vegeta demanded to know, suddenly pinning Mrs. Briefs with a stare that had the woman swallowing instinctively. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen Vegeta look so serious.

"Well I'd guess she's in Vienna since she's with Lana. Why?"

"I'm going to go have a talk with that alien."

"Oh. Oh! You want to talk to him to make sure your culture is preserved right? Since you're the last one it's up to you to make sure that everyone knows the facts and all about how wonderful your people were!" Mrs. Briefs exclaimed, bringing her fist down on her open palm, thinking she'd figured it out. "That's a wonderful idea, Vegeta."

"I need an address." Was his blunt response.

"I'll go get it for you."

Note! I have some questions I need answered before I can go much further in this fic about Vegeta and Bulma's relationship as well as Trunks. If you're willing to answer some of my questions will you leave me your email address in the review section so I can send you my questions? Thanks. Oh and the whole emura, jitsu etc for Saiyan culture is stuff I made up. The whole handshake thing is true though.


	11. From Discovery to Confrontation

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the plot situations I put them in. Everything else belongs to somebody else so give credit where the credit is due! Thanks to all my loyal readers and reviewers, I hope to continue to hear from you. Enjoy and have a very awesome day!

From Discovery to Confrontation

Walking along the beach with the salty sea air in her windswept hair Bulma was deep in thought, not even really noticing the beautiful sunset taking place beside her. She'd spent most of the day picking Akithos's brain about Saiyan customs and now she had a hell of a lot to process. She'd always had such a negative view of Vegeta's behavior, even knowing what a rough childhood he'd had. It had always seemed to her that he should want to change the way he was. To try to fit in and be happy. Maybe because Goku was a Saiyan by birth too she'd always assumed that while very militaristic the Saiyan race couldn't be as bad as it sometimes seemed. She'd imagined a dictatorship type government which, like the early Romans, had been obsessed with ruling the known world or in the case of Saiyans the known galaxies. The Romans hadn't exactly been the greatest individuals morally speaking but they hadn't been all bad either. Well now she'd gotten a crash course on the Saiyan race and that had pretty much blown all her theories away. What she'd been presented with was a culture like the ancient Greek Spartans, warriors first, second and last. Obsessed with being the strongest and most respected warriors their whole culture was based around the philosophy of survival of the fittest. They'd been a closed society and the only time they interacted with other cultures was to annihilate them. It had been said that the only way a Saiyan ever showed respect to another culture was by stealing their technology or fighting technique. To the Saiyans weakness was never an option and to show it was the greatest sin that could possibly be committed.

* * *

A male Saiyan's goals in life were to be the strongest warrior they could, to train every waking hour of the day to become that warrior and to provide the Saiyan race with more male warriors for the next generation. A female Saiyan's goals in life were to provide her man with as many male children as she could and to not bring the men in her family dishonor. Male children were taken from their mothers at the age of five when they went to live with the males in their household. Mothers made their children weak and therefore were not allowed to see their sons until the father felt the son was strong enough. Saiyan warriors often went months without seeing their daughters, having nothing to do with them until their daughters were at least thirteen in which case they could be sold off to the highest bidder. Only the sons were of interest. While females were allowed to become warriors if they showed the aptitude for it it was still rare for a father to take enough interest in his daughter to notice her potential, much less nurture it. As for their women Saiyan men in general treated them as objects, put into their lives for their comfort and convenience. To even treat them with consideration was a stretch for most males. From what Akithos had said, the fact that Vegeta hadn't killed her by now was a miracle given her personality. Saiyan males expected complete obedience from their woman and to even consider talking back was unthinkable. That could and did get you killed. Killing women in your household was justified and never questioned. They were just women after all.

* * *

When she'd described her relationship with Vegeta Akithos had looked shocked and told her that she was very lucky. In Saiyan views how he treated her and let her get away with things would have had him tried and killed for his weak and disgusting behavior. Not for having sex with her but for treating her as though her life was of any importance. How ironic was that, Bulma thought, kicking some of the white sand in front of her. Here she'd always thought he treated her terribly most of the time when to him he probably saw it as treating her far too well, especially since she was human. No wonder he'd always looked surprised in the beginning when she'd yelled at him. She'd thought it was because no one in their right mind would yell at him but it was more then that. To his mind females just didn't do that and the fact that the men in her lives allowed it must have been even more confusing for him. After all, if you grew up believing in something it was hard to put aside that belief, even when the truth was glaring you in the face. And who was to say he didn't believe his cultures beliefs still? Sure he treated her better then any other Saiyan warrior would but Vegeta was also very Saiyan obsessed. If he did...then that would explain why he'd broken things up with her, especially the way he had. She was an alien female, an inferior being who should have been beneath his notice. But he'd wanted her and had had feelings for her. She knew he had. Maybe he hadn't loved her but he had cared at the very least whether she lived or died. He'd let her get away with things that no Saiyan male would and he'd never raised a hand to her, no matter how angry she'd made him. In his culture beatings were not only acceptable but expected. To keep those under them in their place. But he never had, not once. Sure he'd told her off plenty but he'd never taken advantage of just how much weaker she was then him. And when he'd broken up with her, it had almost been noon and he hadn't gotten up that much earlier then that because she knew he'd been in bed at nine because he'd woken her up with his busy hands and she'd glanced at the clock. Vegeta was always out of bed before six and usually didn't stop training the whole day unless he had to. It must have upset him to find himself in bed so late. He would have put two and two together and come up with the correct conclusion which was that if she hadn't been with him he would have been training on time. She'd kept him from his training. She'd become a distraction.

* * *

So he'd gotten rid of the distraction. He knew her well enough to know that it would take more then a brush off to get rid of her so he'd been as harsh and indifferent as possible. With what had happened the night before he would have known her heart and pride would be hurting too much to try and fight him over it. The only problem was he'd gotten her pregnant before he'd done the breaking up. Now there was a link between them that couldn't be ignored and pushed aside. Her hands going protectively to rest against her stomach Bulma continued to walk, her mind revolving around what she'd learned when she felt a shiver go down her spine. Stopping, she paused for a moment then turned around, looking down the length of beach where she could see a figure moving towards her. She didn't have to guess who it was either. Walking like a cat that was slowly stalking over to it's unknowing prey she'd know this pissed off Saiyan anywhere. There really was no point in running and she could think of only one reason he'd be here to see her and be giving off those kind of murderous vibes. Either someone had killed Goku before he could or he'd some how found out why she was here instead of home. Gohan probably. The kid never had believed her excuse for that day when she'd collapsed. He'd have eventually gone to her mother and all they would need is the doctor who'd treated her. There was doctor confidentiality but if her mother had sicced Vegeta on the man no one could blame him for spilling his guts about what he knew. Or perhaps it was the whole ki thing. Akithos had explained that the way he'd found her was that when a Saiyan woman was pregnant her ki was combined with her child's. Apparently her baby already had a pretty powerful one which was even more startling because she couldn't begin to imagine how little she had herself. Walking towards Vegeta she kept her back straight and her eyes direct. If she was going to get verbally torn to shreds she was going to at least start out with as much dignity as she could pull together.

* * *

Watching her coming he had to give her points for not trying to run away. She always had had more spunk then ten humans, much less one. It was why the stupid woman was always getting herself into so much trouble. Never taking his eyes off her he could feel her uneasiness, just as he could feel the ki of his unborn child. He'd stopped questioning it once he got close, able to sense the powerful ki being formed within her. The fact that this child was of mixed blood made it even that more amazing. He was going to be a father and that fact had been hidden from him. It was unforgivable, especially if the child was male. When she was about three meters away from him she stopped, her stubborn chin out as she met his gaze without flinching. God, what a woman. "Hello, Onna." He said silkily, his stance combative as his cold black eyes drilled into hers.

"You're taking this a lot better then I thought you would." Bulma said bluntly, not surprised when her words caused a small tic to appear under his eye. Oh yeah, he was extremely pissed off. "I was going to tell you, by the way."

"And just when were you going to do that?"

"When I got back so in a couple of weeks. I knew you wouldn't be very happy about it." Figuring it was better to try and placate him a little Bulma took another step forward. "But you're right. I really should have told you when I found out. I just figured that if you didn't want me you were going to want this baby even less."

* * *

"There's a big difference between a former temporary bed partner and ones flesh and blood, woman." Vegeta pointed out harshly, his eyes flashing for a moment before hardening once more. There were things to be said and found out. It wasn't the time to give her what was coming to her. Not yet anyway. "Are you still fainting? Is the child healthy?"

Blinking in surprise Bulma's eyes narrowed slightly, suspicious. "No, I'm not fainting anymore and according to the doctors the baby's fine. He makes me eat way too much pasta but he's growing very fast and the doctors are predicting he's going to be pretty big if he goes full term."

"It's a male then?"

"I don't know. I didn't want to know but I think it might be a boy. Feminine intuition. I've gotten into the habit of talking like the baby's a boy either way." Bulma explained with a faint smirk at his typical Saiyan question. Of course he'd want to know whether it was a boy or a girl. If it was a girl he wouldn't care one way or another but a boy..a boy at least would be worth some notice and consideration.

* * *

"Hmmm." Was Vegeta's response, processing this. If it was a female then there was no question that the child was best kept with its mother and could be raise however Bulma saw fit. A son on the other hand would need to be raised properly and there was no way in hell he was leaving that up to Bulma. He wouldn't allow any son of his, half breed or not grow up to be a disgrace to his family's name.

"Boy or girl you aren't taking this baby away from me, Vegeta." Bulma told him firmly, as if she'd been reading his thoughts. "I know in your culture that male children were taken away from their mothers and raised by their fathers. I won't let you do that. If it is a boy we'll raise him together or I'll raise him alone. Those are the only two choices you have and that's non-negotiable."

"And what exactly would stop me if I did?" Vegeta wanted to know, genuinely curious as to how she thought she'd stop him if he had intended to do that. He hadn't, but he was curious.

"I'd do whatever I could to stop you myself but we both know you'd kick my ass so I'd go to Goku. He'd get my son back for me." Bulma said without an ounce of doubt in her voice. "And lets face it, Vegeta. You wouldn't know what to do with a little boy."

Irked at the idea of her thinking him so weak he'd allow Kakorrot to take his only son away from him Vegeta glared at her, forgetting the importance of keeping a civil tone with her. "If I wanted to raise my son rather then let you turn him into some weak, pathetic human that's my choice. He's MY son!"

* * *

"He's OUR son, you jerk." Was her hot resort as she set her hands on her hips, glaring at him openly as they sent each other killer glares. "And I would not raise any son of mine to be weak OR pathetic! Even if YOU won't train him Goku and Gohan would. By the time they were done that weak and pathetic son of yours would be able to kick your ass right back to where you came from!"

"No son of mine is going to be trained by those two!" Vegeta practically roared, with quick strides standing right in front of her with his fingers digging into her shoulders as he glared at her hotly. "Do you understand me? No one is going to train him but me!"

"Are you sure you'll be able to find time in your busy schedule to do it?" Bulma shot back smartly, wiggling under the iron grip he had on his shoulders. "And to do that you'd have to let me be his mother. What I think is appropriate for a child is going to vary big time from what you want. I won't let you make him spend all his time training the way you do. Kids should have the chance to be kids when they can!"

"And what's to stop me from just blowing you to little bits and taking him?" Vegeta pointed out, not backing down an inch. "You can't run to Goku if you're dead."

"You would never kill me." Bulma answered simply, not surprised when a shocked look appeared in Vegeta's eyes before he hid it. "There are a lot of terrible and even heinous things you're capable of committing but killing me isn't one of them. You would never kill the mother of your child and that aside, I'm the closest thing to a friend you've ever had."

Gapping at her and the fact that she was unfortunately right he cursed under his breath, too mad and turned up to say anything. Letting her go he cursed, turning to face the water so he didn't have to look at her while he got himself under control. Damn her and damn her words. Why did she always say the last thing he wanted to hear? Especially when that something was the truth.

* * *

"I'm going to be a good mother, Vegeta." Bulma said softly, turning to look at the water too without looking at him. "I know you probably don't think I can raise a Saiyan properly and you're probably right. But I can promise you that I will love this child and protect it with every breath in my body. Together you and I could raise this child into someone we can both be proud to say is ours. You and I both have some really good points to offer and put them together and there's nothing our child won't be able to do."

"I thought I didn't have any good points." Vegeta said dryly, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he watched the waves rolling by, not even aware that he was calming down.

"You do, they're just not obvious ones." Bulma said with a small smile as she looked over at him for a moment before turning to look at the water as well. "There's your incredible physical strength of course but you have more then that. You have incredible strength of mind as well. You know how to go after a goal and you're willing to do whatever it takes to meet that goal, no matter the cost. You're really good at staying focused and you never let failure get you down either. You're always trying to improve yourself and you don't care what anyone else thinks of you and you're really independent. Those are all really good qualities, even if your priorities are sometimes pretty screwed. Those are all qualities are son or daughter would benefit from having."

* * *

The faintest of blushes gracing his sharp cheekbones Vegeta had a whole new reason not to look at her as he thought about what she's said. "There are some qualities you possess that would benefit the child as well." He finally said gruffly, moving his hands to his pockets in a nervous habit he'd begun to pick up.

"Such as?" Bulma asked, genuinely curious as to what qualities she possessed that Vegeta liked about her. The only thing he ever consistently had a positive word about was her body.

Turning his head for a moment to glare at her for asking Vegeta turned to give her his back as he answered. "You're...surprisingly intelligent for a human and you have a lot of spirit." He finally said, refusing to say anything else.

Smiling Bulma rocked back on her heels. "Thank you."

Surprised Vegeta turned around to face her, even more surprised to find her smiling at him in pleasure. "You aren't going to complain or demand more praise?"

"You wouldn't give it to me so why bother to ask?" Bulma pointed out saucily, knowing that she was right. "Besides, I know that there's more about me you like then just the fact that I'm smarter and more spirited then you."

"I never said you were smarter then I was." Vegeta pointed out, scowling at her.

"Anyway, I came up with a list I need you to read." Bulma told him, deciding it was in everyone's best interest if she changed the subject before the somewhat peaceful moment turned into another battle ground. Besides, the list was important.

* * *

"What sort of list?" Vegeta asked wearily, looking at her suspiciously. Just what was the woman up to and why did he get the feeling that he wasn't going to like it? Not one little bit.

"Well I've been doing a little research into Saiyan culture and along with the whole taking the son away I also discovered some other child related customs in Saiyan culture I disagree with. I didn't want to forget them so I wrote them all down." Bulma explained, not surprised to see that her answer didn't sit well with him. "Don't look at me like that. I'm sure there are going to be earth customs you don't like either. I'm willing to compromise."

"What sort of customs?"

"Well the physical punishment is out. I don't think you would but just in case I want you to know that I won't tolerate you raising a hand to punish this child in any way. If you do I'll have you blown up and believe me when I say I would. As this child's mother his or her well being is a lot more important then how I feel about you."

"How you feel about me?" Vegeta repeated as he raised an eyebrow, looking at her curiously while it was her turn to get some unexpected color to her cheeks.

"You're the father of my child, of course I have feelings for you. They're usually negative ones unless we're naked but on occasion I have been known to care about you." Bulma replied as the color became more pronounced. "And quit smirking like that, Vegeta or so help me..."

"So help you what?"

"So help me I'll name this baby after Goku."

"Over my dead and rotting corpse."


	12. From Confrontation to Arguing

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations I put them in. Everything else belongs to somebody else so give credit where credit is due. Thanks to all my reviewers and especially everyone who wrote back answers to my questions. You guys are the greatest!

From Confrontation to Arguing

When Bulma and Vegeta had arrived back at the small villa she was staying at with her cousin they were met on the porch by Lana who didn't look at all pleased to see who Bulma had brought back with her. Whispering to Bulma whether or not she should call the cops Lana didn't take the news that Vegeta would just kill them all very well. Vegeta certainly didn't appreciate having to carry the unconscious woman inside the house where he dumped her onto the couch. "Stupid twit." He muttered under his breath.

"She's just...yeah, she is, isn't she?" Bulma said with a chuckle as she moved over to throw a blanket over her cousin. Whenever Lana had come to visit she'd always stayed out of Vegeta's way after their first meeting. Lana had taken one look at Vegeta's scowling face and fainted dead away. This was two for two in the fainting every time she had to actually talk to Vegeta, Bulma thought in amusement. "She'll be fine. The list is in my room."

"Of all the people to travel with, why her?" Vegeta wanted to know as he followed her out of the room as they headed for the stairs going up to the second floor. "If you ran into any trouble she'd be more of a hindrance then a help. She'd either cry or faint."

"Or one after the other." Bulma added, grabbing the rail as she walked up the steps. "And she's not so bad. She is a twit and more than a little bubble headed but she's a good distraction and sounding board. You just scare the hell out of her."

* * *

Shaking his head Vegeta followed her, his eyes watching her carefully. She'd said that the fainting had passed but he wasn't taking any chances. Looking her over as they climbed he studied her body, looking for changes. He'd never been around a pregnant woman before and he was somewhat curious about the changes their bodies went through. She didn't look like she was with child, though she was a little rounder than he recalled. Then again that could be because she'd stopped her stupid dieting too. Her breasts were bigger, something he could have done without. They'd been appealing enough before but now they were impossible to ignore. Damn it. Once they reached the top of the stairs he followed her down the hallway and into her room which was fairly simple and rustic, not her style and more his. Taking a seat on the edge of the bed he waited while she got a couple sheets of paper which she brought over and handed to him, taking a seat beside him. Doing his best to tune her out Vegeta read through the list, not finding anything that bothered him overly much. Yes these were his people's customs but they really served no purpose in this sort of situation. A lot of these had to do with the upbringing of a son and since he was going to let Bulma help raise the baby even if it was a male that pretty much canceled out all the other rules on her list. He wasn't about to let her know that right away though. "If I agree to all of these you have to give your word on a few things too."

* * *

"Like what?" Bulma wanted to know, her hands in her lap. It felt so weird to be so close to him all of a sudden. King of the Jerks he might be most of the time but he smelled fabulous and hey, she was pregnant. Hormone fluctuations to the extreme were to be expected. Maybe this explained why Chi Chi put up with Goku. Once you had had a Saiyan there was no settling for anything but.

"Well first of all if it's a boy you aren't to dress him up in any of those girlie outfits you're always cooing over at the mall." Vegeta began, biting back a shudder as he recalled outfits he'd seen her go all mushy over when he'd been forced to come with her to carry her bags. "And you aren't going to spoil him either. I've seen the way you humans put your children in front of the television and let them eat whatever they want. I won't allow that sort of behavior. Your planet would be a lot harder to conquer if you people would just spend more time improving your minds and bodies instead of destroying them both with junk."

"Well I happen to agree with you on those last two and for the first...well not girlie if it's a boy, I promise." Bulma hedged, not about to tell him about all the cute outfits she'd already bought on her cross-country trip around Europe. There was just so many cute little outfits and since this could very well be her only child...and he'd said girlie after all. Cute didn't necessarily mean girlie.

* * *

Eyes narrowing, since he was well aware she'd been hedging, he decided that they'd just cross that bridge when they got there. If she tried to put his son in something stupid he'd simply incinerate the offending clothing and put the boy into something proper. "Well I have no problems with this list of yours...though later on we'll have disagreements." There was no way there wouldn't be. They'd argued before they'd had a child to share. It was bound to only get worse.

"Well that goes without saying." Her mind running along the same path as Vegeta's Bulma shook her head ruefully. "And I haven't told my parents yet either. The only people that know are my doctor, me and Lana. She only knows because I had to explain all the baby clothes and books I've been reading. She doesn't know that you're daddy though."

Figures she'd have started shopping already. It was a very lucky thing she was filthy rich, otherwise she'd have put her family in the poorhouse by now. Not that Bulma's mother was much better. The human female's obsession with shopping had never and would likely never make sense to him. "We'll have to tell them when we get back." Vegeta said after a pause, looking over at her consideringly. Her mother was such a bubblehead he had no doubt she'd be too busy bubbling over about the baby to care that her daughter was carrying his child but as for her father... While he had nothing to fear from Bulma's father physically the absent minded professor might forget that fact and try to avenge his daughter's honor. If that were the case he supposed he'd have to let the old man get some swings in. It wasn't like the weak human could produce even a scratch. Of course the professor was smart enough to try and create something to cause the harm for him. Then he'd have a new toy to play with, Vegeta thought, hoping that that would be the case.

"Yeah, I think they'll be okay with it. Daddy's probably not going to be very happy with you for a while but it's not like you're going to up and abandon us or anything. You'll be around and I'll talk him out of the whole needing to be married thing." Bulma replied with a knowing look, having given this a lot of thought. "I'm over thirty after all. It's not like I'm not more than capable of taking care of this baby if you were to get yourself blown up or something."

"Which I don't plan on doing any time soon."

"You never plan to blow yourself, Vegeta. You just bite off more than you can chew or push yourself too far." Bulma pointed out, rolling her eyes.

* * *

Opening his mouth to argue Vegeta shut it, knowing that regardless of what he said he wouldn't win this argument. They'd been having it for a while now and nothing he said had yet to penetrate that thick skull of hers. "So how long is it going to be in there?" Vegeta asked instead, pointing a finger at her stomach.

Blinking at the change in topic Bulma looked down as she patted her tummy. "Well hopefully at least five more months. The baby's getting pretty big already so I'm kinda hoping he's a little early so that he doesn't have time to get too big. As it is I'll probably be yelling for the drugs pretty quick, even though I keep telling myself I'm going for a natural pregnancy."

"Drugs?" Vegeta repeated, the look in his eye saying quite plainly that he didn't like that idea at all.

"Pain killers, Vegeta. You aren't the one who's going to have to go through this labor so don't even think of telling me that I can't have those pain killers if I want them. I'd imagine this is going to be as pleasant as sticking burning sticks into my eyes so if you want to live you aren't going to comment. Besides, I'm not talking about being drugged to the gills or anything, just enough that I won't weaken when they try to talk me into procedures I don't want. Believe me, I've been doing research into this and I've already started a list as to what they aren't allowed to do for me. I'm going to get a midwife hopefully, better to skip the doctors unless it's necessary. I'd tell you horror stories but I'll save them for when you've really pissed me off."

"Is it really that bad?" Vegeta wanted to know, raising an eyebrow. It couldn't be that bad, otherwise why would women willingly continue to repopulate their worlds?

* * *

"Oh believe me, it's that bad. Well it can be anyway." Bulma rephrased, not wanting to dramatize it to the point where he thought she was just being overly emotional. She could only pray he decided he'd rather train than come to the delivery room with her. The last thing she needed was him calling her a weak human while she was trying to push out a ten pound or more baby. She'd likely try to grab a scalpel and go after him with it in between contractions. Now there would be something to see.

"What will happen if the baby is too big?"

"Well then there's a chance of a lot of tearing or a C section."

Processing this Vegeta tried to not think about the tearing she'd referred too. "What's a C section?" He asked instead, hoping that was something that didn't involve things he'd rather not visualize.

"Well basically they cut open my stomach and take the baby out that way. A lot of women prefer it because it's quick, relatively painless and you get out of the hospital sooner." Bulma explained, surprised that he was bothering to ask any of these questions. Then again, given his past lifestyle he'd probably never crossed paths with a pregnant woman. He knew even less then she did.

"Oh." Was his response. After that he demanded to have his dinner and decided then and there that he wasn't going to ask any more questions about human pregnancy.

* * *

They left the next day in the ship that Bulma had been storing at a nearby airport. Lana was sorry to see Bulma go and thrilled to see the back of Vegeta though she didn't have the courage to say so. Heading out they were nearing the border of the country when Bulma frowned, tapping her scanners with an annoyed look on her face.

"What?" Vegeta wanted to know, eyeing the console. The last thing they needed was another crash. The last one had already screwed up their lives enough as it was.

"This scanner is supposed to display the landscape ahead of us but it's not working. It should be showing mountain ranges coming up in about two minutes but nothing's showing up period. According to this there's nothing in our way for several hours." Chewing absently on the bottom of her lip she wondered if maybe she was off course. But no, everything else said she was taking the same route she'd taken before. So what was going on?

She had her answer two minutes later when she came to the remains of what had been five mountains which had been reduced to five craters in the burnt, unturned ground. It looked like someone had blown the mountains into pieces. Staring at the deep impact holes as they flew over Bulma turned her head to look at Vegeta as an uneasy shiver down her spine. "Please tell me you didn't do that."

"I did do that."

"But why? Do you realize how many innocent animals you probably blew up, not to mention maimed? All that aside you've just changed this whole region's ecological balance which will result in a zillion different changes to the plants, animals and people that live there. How many times have I told you to think before you blow something up!"

"It was you or the mountains."

"Oh." Bulma said after a long pause as what he was saying hit home. "I guess you did take the news as badly as I thought you would."

"Still wish I'd spared the poor little animals?" Vegeta asked silkily, looking over at her with a slight smirk on his face as he raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Well yes...but I'm glad you at least chose an unpopulated area." Was her weak response as she turned her head, staring straight ahead of her. Scary. He could be really scary sometimes.

* * *

Rolling his eyes at her Vegeta turned his eyes ahead as well. Normally he would have flown outside but he wanted to keep an eye on her, just in case. Not to mention this ship was so slow he would have kept passing it accidentally, without even trying. Regardless of what Bulma had said he was also still unsure about her new alien friend. This Akithos might seem as harmless as a puppy but that wasn't necessarily true. Just because they'd been relatively harmless when he was a boy didn't mean that the same held true now. And trust her to get all bent out of shape because he'd blown up some stupid mountains. They'd been handy and at least he hadn't gone on a rampage which had been what he'd felt like doing at the time. Nothing in his life was going the way it was supposed to, dammit. He was supposed to be the king of his planet, ruling the superior to all others Saiyan race with his bond mate producing him full blooded Saiyan heirs who would take over for him. There was supposed to be no earth in his future because it would have been blown up once his people realized that Kakorrot wasn't going to be doing it. Then he never would have met the damn complicated, voluptuous hellion sitting beside him. She never would have had a chance to worm her way past all his armor to become perhaps the biggest complication life had ever handed him. And that was before he'd found out she was carrying his child. Running a hand through his hair he cursed whatever Kami had decided that he was deserving of this fate. He wasn't supposed to be in this situation. He wasn't supposed to have these sort of issues to deal with. He wasn't supposed to care about her or the child she carried. Yet he did. He'd been worried when she'd been sick and then had gone off on her little vacation. He'd been furious when he realized she was in fact carrying his child but it had been that fact that had kept him from blowing up the whole planet as well. He didn't know what he was feeling anymore. He wasn't supposed to feel period. He was a warrior and warriors had no use for emotions unless they could be used like rage or pride. What he felt towards Bulma and this child were too complex and complicated for him to put his finger on. He wasn't sure he even wanted to.

* * *

"What are you thinking about?" Bulma finally asked after an hour of complete silence. Vegeta hated her taste in music so the silence was killing her. There was nothing more boring than having nothing to do but sit in a chair while you flew in a straight line with not even music to distract you.

"How much you've screwed up my life."

"Gee thanks. Like I didn't have a lot of help doing that." Was her sarcastic reply as she turned her head to glare at him. "As you'll recall in that cave, when you went off on your little snit, it was your choice to come back and start snuggling up to me, pal. I might have been a willing participant but it takes two to do what we did. Unless you're accusing me of repeatedly raping you but in that case you'd have to admit that I was strong enough to force you. In other words, you screwed it up and I helped."

Glaring at her Vegeta felt the familiar need to strangle her. "You started it when you came onto me before I even left in my so called snit."

"And it was your choice whether to accept my offer or not." She pointed out stubbornly, sticking out her chin as if to tempt him to pop her one. "What's really bothering you is that you wanted to and did accept. That you know you got exactly what you asked for."

"I don't recall asking for a child."

"Well excuse me for assuming you were smart enough to know where babies come from."

* * *

"Do you practice being this annoying or is it just a gift?" Vegeta demanded to know, glaring at her as he fought the urge to punch something. She always did this. She always turned things around so that he couldn't tell what was the truth and what wasn't anymore. Damn her.

"Around you it just comes natural." Bulma replied sweetly, imagining shoving him out the nearest airlock. It wouldn't kill him of course but it would make her feel better. "One can only hope that if this is a boy he doesn't inherit your way with women. I'd like to be a grandmother someday."

"You liked my way just fine. In fact you were always quite vocal about that." Was his smug reply, the look on his face as close to lewd as Vegeta's could get. He was deliberately trying to piss her off and damn but it was working.

"True, I was." Bulma agreed, forcing a smile onto her face as she hit him where it hurt. She couldn't say she'd had better because that would be a bald-faced lie but there were other ways to needle him. "You are a better lover then a fighter anyway. I guess everyone has to be good at something."


	13. From Arguing to Placating

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations I put them in. Everything else belongs to somebody else so be sure to give credit where it is due. Thanks again for reading and please, please, review!

From Arguing to Placating

Complete and cold silence filled the small ship, Bulma knowing as soon as the words had slipped out that she'd said too much. For the first time in a long time she felt absolute fear as Vegeta slowly turned his head to face her, his eyes reminding her of the first time she'd ever looked into them. Those black, bottomless pits that were absolute terror inspiring.

"Just so I'm completely clear...what exactly did you mean by that?" Vegeta asked slowly, his eyes never leaving hers as they pinned her to her seat as if she were a butterfly being added to someone's bug collection.

"Uhmmm...I just confirmed that you were right, that I never complained about your abilities in bed. I just...uh...realized how what I said could be misinterpreted so I forgot what else I was going to say." Bulma's mind raced to try and come up with some way to twist what she'd said into something positive but was drawing a complete blank. Dammit, her child's life might depend on this! Think, stupid brain, think, Bulma commanded.

"Really, because it sounded to me like you were saying that the only thing I'm good for is sex." Vegeta replied, his tone of voice ringing with just enough sarcasm to confirm the fact that he wasn't buying this at all.

"Well you are really good at that, the best I've ever had in fact but you're good at lots of other things." Bulma said quickly, hastening to soothe his ego and boost it. Thanks to living in a social class where the men were usually egotistical jerks playing with egos was something she knew plenty about. This was going to be one hell of a blow to her pride but this was her baby's life at risk here. "One of the reasons I forgot what I was going to say was because the way you said that I never complained made mental images in my head and completely blew my concentration." Sending him her best I'm just a brainless bimbo look Bulma barely managed not to break her fingers, they were clenching the steering wheel so hard.

"Do you really think I'm that stupid?"

"What do you mean?" Okay, so playing dumb wasn't going to save her but at least it might buy her some time. Time enough for Vegeta to rein in his temper enough to let her live instead of blowing her away.

"You meant exactly what you said. You said that not only was I a better lover then a fighter but you also implied that sex was all I was good for. Do you think I was born yesterday?"

"No. If you were born yesterday our former relationship would not only be physically impossible but illegal in every planet and galaxy."

* * *

A decided twitch appearing under Vegeta's left eye Bulma could practically hear him grinding his teeth in aggravation. "Woman...do you really think I'm stupid enough to fall for your little ploys? I've known you for far too many years not to know when you're playing me. Obviously you aren't brainless because you realized right away that what you said was life threatening. To you."

"I was mad, Vegeta." Bulma said bluntly, seeing no other choice but to be honest and hope that counted for something. "Like you said, I've known you long enough to know where to aim. I shouldn't have said what I said though and I apologize. I take that last sentence back."

"Only the last sentence?" Vegeta repeated, his eyes narrowing dangerously, never a good sign.

"Vegeta, think about it. The rest was complimentary."

Thinking it over Vegeta couldn't quite hide the small, masculine grin that crossed his features as her meaning hit home. Not about to let her off the hook that easy he forced his face back into it's typical scowl as he glared over at her. "Just be glad you're carrying my child, woman. If you weren't, nothing you just said would have saved you."

"Well duh."

* * *

Tempted to needle her some more with her comments Vegeta opted to refrain since he knew very well that if he did odds were they'd spiral into another argument. She was bound to say something else to set him off and then he really would blow her up. Turning his head to look out his window Vegeta's scowl remained but not for the reason Bulma would have thought. There had been fear in her eyes. He couldn't remember the last time she'd looked at him like that. He didn't want her to ever look at him like that again. His fingers flexing in and out of fists he mentally cursed, not sure what to say, much less what to think. He'd known that what she'd said had been her way of lashing out at him. He wasn't an idiot, they both knew very well that she was only a match for him when it came to verbal sparring. And damn but she knew just where to aim, he thought wearily, fighting the urge to slump in his seat. He'd seen red, even as every cell in his body had been screaming at him that she hadn't meant it. He'd been looking for an excuse to hate her, he admitted to himself, too weary to deny it. Everything in his life was spiraling out of control and it would be so much easier if he could blame her, hate her for the ways she was blowing his life to hell. By Kami, how he wanted to blame it all on her. To convince himself that he was blameless in all this. But he wasn't, he was in fact to blame more than she was. It wasn't her fault he was too weak to resist her, not to mention beat Goku. He was a failure all on his own, she was just another example of that.

* * *

"Vegeta, are you okay?" Bulma asked hesitantly, laying a hand that wasn't quite steady on his tense shoulder. She didn't think he'd even notice her getting up and putting the ship on autopilot. She didn't think this was suppressed rage either. If he were really this angry he'd have gone outside the ship to blow things up along the way to make him feel better.

"I'm fine." Turning his head to glance at her briefly Vegeta's eyes widened slightly as he stared into those damn blue eyes of hers. He always saw more than he wanted in them, especially when they were aimed at him. "Why are you looking at me like that?" He growled, tensing up even more under her hand.

"Like what?"

"Like you care. Not more than ten minutes ago you were looking at me like I was going to kill you and now you look like you want to hug me." Damn it, he never understood this woman, never. Sometimes he was almost afraid of just what he'd learn if he ever did.

"Well you looked like you were going to kill me." Bulma pointed out, something in his eyes bothering her even more than the way they'd been before. There was something in those dark depths that made her want to do exactly what he'd said. Pull him into her arms and hold him close until they didn't look that way anymore. Which was incredibly stupid, Bulma thought with a small sigh. Damn, why had she gone and let him in? No matter what he did she always came back to this need to shelter him from the world, to show him another way to live. Even though she knew very well he'd rather face the tortures of hell then let her do either.

"I thought about it." Was his dry response. "But that doesn't explain why you're looking at me the way you are right now."

"If you're asking why I care about you I can't give you an answer. I can't figure that out either. You aren't anything like my normal type and more then half the time I go around imaging all sorts of wonderfully painful ways to kill you. But sometimes I just look into those eyes of yours and I want to hold you close. Like right now. Oh don't look at me like that, I'm not going to." Bulma said with a huff. "I know you wouldn't accept that from me. You wanted honesty and that's just the way it is. I don't like it either."

"I don't want your pity."

* * *

"It wouldn't be about pity, Vegeta. There are a lot of things that happened in your life that are horrible, a lot worse than I can probably even imagine. I can feel pity for the boy you were, losing everything and everyone who was important to you. You go around with the weight of the world on your shoulders because you hold yourself to the ideals of your people to the point where you as a person doesn't matter anymore. You're so busy trying to live up to impossible standards that you aren't even really living. But I don't pity you, Vegeta. I just have feelings for you that you don't want to have to deal with, much less accept. Do you really think I'd have let you get so close to me if I didn't? Nothing I did with you was out of pity."

Looking into her eyes he didn't know what to say to that. He'd known she had feelings for him. He knew that no one in their right mind would put up with him the way she did unless she had some sort of attachment to him. In general he preferred to think it had all been about the sex but that was just wishful thinking. No, he knew she cared, one of those damn human weaknesses of hers. He had no doubt he could rid her of those emotions but it would require him to do things...things he didn't want to ever do again. He knew what he was capable of, the amount of blood staining his hands. Oh he could make her hate him and that, more than any moral code, was what stopped him. He was a better person not because he cared about his morality but because he didn't want her to think him a monster. As lowering as it was he'd realized during her absence that he'd made a lot of changes because of her. He didn't even remember making them now. He still mocked and cursed Kakarrot whenever they met up but now it was almost more out of habit than anything else. There was still the rivalry of course but now it was about surpassing Goku rather then doing that and than killing the grinning idiot. He let Bulma's mother get away with her mothering and he had yet to snap at the woman's father when the absentminded professor forgot to repair his equipment. Her parents cared for him too and he didn't think it was out of gratitude for not having blown up their only child all the times she'd asked for it. And Bulma...hell...he was beginning to think he might actually care about the annoying bitch. The idea had been planted after his unreasonable and stupid reactions to her nearly dying and than being attacked in the park. And the most ironic thing, he thought, as an almost ironic smirk crossed his face, was that he didn't mind that idea half as much as he should.

* * *

Seeing the shadows in his eyes receding Bulma removed her hand from his shoulder, walking back to her seat. Sitting down she took back the controls and left him to his thoughts. Neither spoke until they were within minutes of arriving at their destination. Then she knew she had to say something, to get it out of the way before her parents descended on them like locust. "Vegeta?" Waiting until she was sure she had his attention she hoped her nerves weren't showing, her nerves already jumping in agitation for what was to come. "When we arrive I'm going to have to tell my parents. As it is they're going to be mad I didn't tell them sooner about it. Do you...want to be there? I can tell them by myself if you want."

After a pause Vegeta shook his head. "I'll come too."

"Are you sure? Mom will be too busy going gaga over the idea of being a grandmother to really think about the whole thing but my dad might try to do you some serious physical damage. Not that he would succeed of course but he could cause problems."

"I'm not a coward and I'm certainly not afraid of your father. There are domesticated animals that are more dangerous then him."

"True but still. I just wanted to give you the option." Personally she was relieved as hell that she wasn't going to have to do this alone. She knew that her parents would accept and support her but she was still their unmarried daughter informing them she was having a baby with no marriage in sight. No, marriage and Vegeta were as likely as Krillin growing hair on that head of his.

* * *

As expected the news of the baby came as an utter shock to Bulma's parents. Her father had had no idea that the two liked each other, much less had been intimately involved with each other behind his back. Bulma's mother had suspected something but this sort of conformation totally blew her away. Vegeta pretty much let Bulma do all the talking, accepting the heated death glares he was getting from Bulma's father as his due. He'd do the same. That of course had led his thoughts down the path of what he was going to do if this child was a girl. Human boys were bound to come after her, especially if she looked like her mother. They'd all die, he decided, crossing his arms decisively. And they wouldn't be quick deaths either.

"Daddy, don't look like Vegeta like that." Bulma said with a chuckle once her mother stopped babbling and hugging her long enough for the younger woman to read the vibes her father was sending Vegeta's way.

"I'm looking at him exactly like he deserves." Okay, so he wasn't an idiot. He knew his baby had relationships with men, had been intimate with some of them, but this was his baby, his only child. He'd taken Vegeta in despite the young man's attitude and all he could think was why the hell hadn't he said no. If he'd only said no none of this would have happened.

"Sweetie, what's done is done." Bulma's mother said as she pranced over to her husband, her whole face lit up and beaming. "And we're going to be grandparents! Isn't that wonderful? We should be celebrating, not frowning!"

"Yeah, Daddy." Bulma said as she walked over and knowing exactly how to manipulate her father sat down on her father's lap and wrapped her arms around his neck, cuddling against him. "And I could have done a lot worse you know. I mean think of some of my other boyfriends!"

"I am." The professor muttered under his breath, even as he automatically raised a hand to run it through his daughter's hair. "Yamcha was such a nice boy."

* * *

"Yeah but Vegeta is so much smarter than he is." Bulma said quickly, knowing that anyone stating Yamcha was a better man then he would be enough to drive Vegeta to a great deal of violence. "And yes Vegeta is rough around the edges but this will be my child too and even if this is a boy he won't have his daddy's personality because he'll have me for a mommy. With Vegeta for a daddy this baby is going to be stronger, smarter and better looking than if Yamcha was the father."

"She's right dear." Mrs. Briefs added, the men in the room too busy thinking about what Bulma had said to make any comment. "Vegeta really is a lot better looking then Yamcha. Our grand baby is going to be the best looking baby in the world! In all the galaxies even!"

A sheepish look coming over her face Bulma decided it was best to let her parents absorb and especially to get Vegeta out of the room. She knew that she was going to have to paint him in the best light possible for her parents and she definitely didn't want him there to hear it. His head was swollen enough without him hearing her lie through her teeth about all his so called good qualities.

"Sweetie, why don't you go put your stuff away." Bulma's mother suggested, as if she'd read her daughter's mind. "Vegeta, be a dear and help her with all her luggage? It's not good for her to do any heavy lifting."

Since he didn't want to be there and he'd be losing his buffer if Bulma left Vegeta got to his feet and nodded. The two beating a hasty retreat they left the professor in his wife's hands, prattling on as she tried to resign her husband to the fact that their daughter was going to have the baby of their very irritable houseguest.

* * *

"Well I suppose that could have gone worse." Bulma said as she let out a relieved sigh. "I'll be grilled more later but for now I think I'm safe just letting them absorb and come to terms."

"If you say so. Your father seems pretty persistent about this marriage thing." Vegeta comment as he hefted two of her bags as he followed her up the stairs. He didn't know anything about marriage other then it involved wearing rings and that he knew two couples who were connected to each other in that way. Since those two couples were Bulma's parents and Goku and Chi Chi he couldn't really see the appeal of the whole institution.

"He'll get over that. The whole stigma of unwed mothers is pretty much gone, especially for someone my age." Bulma said with an amused chuckle, looking at him over her shoulder for a moment. "This is one of the few times I'm glad to be over thirty."

"But in this culture it's expected?" He had a feeling it was and he wasn't sure exactly what he'd be getting into if he agreed to it. Was it simply sharing a home and wearing a piece of jewelry? He could handle that.

"Don't even think about it, buster." Bulma said sharply, sending him something very similar to his own death glare. "There's no way I'm binding myself to you for life. There's nothing I've done in my life to deserve that kind of punishment."


	14. From Placating to Encouraging

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations I put them in. Thanks to all my readers and especially to my reviewers. Have a great day and enjoy!

From Placating to Encouraging

"So in other words getting married is like being bond mates?" Vegeta asked after sending her a dark look for suggesting that being "married" to him was a fate worse than death. Having her as his emura would definitely not be something worth celebrating in his mind either but tolerable if necessary. After all, it wasn't like he intended to get involved with any other female ever again. After this mess he was swearing off women for good.

"Sorta, my little alien friend didn't know much about it other than the bare basics. I guess the main differences are that if I were your wife, aka emura then that would mean you would have to...well I guess the only main difference was that if we got married we'd have to promise to love, honor and cherish each other."

Choking, Vegeta suddenly got her sentiments exactly. There was no way he was ever going to marry her. He'd die laughing before he'd give his word to do any of those things. By honor he supposed she meant that he had to swear to be nice to her which wasn't going to happen even more than the other two which were downright laughable. Not that he felt like laughing at the moment. Far from it.

* * *

"See what I mean?" Looking at him with a hint of amusement she decided not to be offended by the look on his face. He looked like he'd just been doused by a skunk, Bulma thought as she bit her lower lip to keep from smirking. "And don't worry about it. Like I said, I'll talk him out of it and it's not like we have to worry about a shotgun wedding."

"A what?"

"That's what they used to call it when relatives would force two people to be married, usually by threatening to shoot the poor guy otherwise."

"Your father would miss me if I was a foot away." Smirking Vegeta watched her smile back before turning his head to look at all the stuff she'd pulled out of the suitcase. "What's that?" He wanted to know as he walked over to pick up a strange looking thing that seemed to resemble an animal or alien of some sort. It was brown and soft, he'd seen them in store windows occasionally when he'd been forced to go shopping with one of the Briefs women to carry their bags.

Blinking Bulma stared at him, too surprised to answer him right away. "That's..a teddy bear."

Raising an eyebrow Vegeta studied the thing. "It doesn't look like a bear." He'd seen a few during training and had found them to be fat, noisy creatures who none the less seemed to intimidate all the other stupid creatures of the forest. Those had been alive though and this one was not. Was it a stuffed animal? Why would she want one of those when she was constantly harping at him not to blow up forests because of the defenseless animals in those forests?

"That's because it isn't a real bear. It's made out of fabric and its designed to look like a bear..or a bear cub I guess. They're made to cuddle with. You usually give them to children to sleep and play with." It shouldn't have seemed weird and sad to her that he didn't know this but it did anyway. "Did you have something like that when you were a kid?"

* * *

"Why would I?" Was his curt response as he tossed the so called teddy bear back on the bed. To his way of thinking this teddy bear had no real purpose but judging from the look on Bulma's face she disagreed with him. No big surprise there. "I take it you expect our son to sleep with that thing?"

"Only if he wants to. I'll buy him or her a lot of different stuffed animals and then he or she can decide which one to sleep with." Picking up the bear Bulma cuddled it against her chest. "When I was little my favorite thing to sleep with was a stuffed animal shaped like a puppy."

"Why not just sleep with an actual dog then? At least then the thing would serve some purpose. That stuffed animal of yours can't do anything."

"It does too do something. I could never sleep without Toto when I was little. I took him everywhere with me. Stuffed animals are great friends." Cuddling the bear more tightly Bulma could see Vegeta just wasn't getting the point. "Yes, I know they can't think or speak or do anything like that so quit looking at me like I'm an idiot. The point is that you can tell a stuffed animal anything and they're always there to hear what you have to say and to hold close when you're scared. To a child they really are as real as you or me. Didn't your young girls at least have dolls and toys to play with?"

Seeing where she was going with this Vegeta still thought it was stupid. The stuffed animal couldn't really hear you or protect you for that matter. All it would do was give the child a false sense of security and companionship that didn't exist. Obviously her culture just wasn't advanced enough to get that. As for the toys... "Yes, we had those. Most of them were used as training tools though." He acknowledged after a pause. "But we didn't have stuffed animals."

"No but I'd imagine some of those little girls slept with their dolls."

Shrugging, since he couldn't recall meeting or knowing little girls when he himself was a child Vegeta decided to drop the subject. Once the boy was old enough to understand he'd just explain that the bear was nothing more than stuffing and fabric and a waste of both at that.

* * *

"I know you're probably anxious to get on with your training, you can go ahead, you know." Bulma finally said after a few minutes of having Vegeta watch her unpack. "Won't be long before baby starts wanting to too." She added with a laugh as she patted her stomach. She couldn't wait to feel her baby move, even if she was sure that once the novelty wore off she was going to wish the kid would stay still more. How much harder would a Saiyan baby kick then a regular human baby would? Ouch, Bulma thought with a sheepish grin. That was not going to be fun to find out.

"What do you mean?" Vegeta asked, his eyes following her hands to her stomach.

"Well soon the baby will start kicking and moving around enough that I'll be able to feel it."

"Move? Inside your stomach?" Obviously confused Vegeta tried to picture what she was describing. The baby couldn't actually move around in her stomach, could it? That would hurt and wouldn't her body be damaged in the process? Getting visions of a miniature version of Bulma kicking various important organs in Bulma's stomach mercilessly Vegeta barely hid his wince.

"In the womb, yeah. Babies do that, Vegeta." Since he was looking skeptical she winked at him teasingly. "As soon as he or she starts kicking hard enough I'll show you."

"And how would you do that?" He asked wearily, remembering well all the things he hadn't wanted to have described to him about pregnancy before.

"By putting your hand on my stomach so that you can feel the baby kick."

Well that didn't sound so bad. Curious now that he knew it didn't involve anything stomach turning Vegeta looked at her stomach with more interest. "Won't that hurt?"

* * *

"Likely, once the kicks get strong enough. Of course by then I'll be dealing with back pains, sleep depravation, food cravings and a very small bladder. It will be just one of many discomforts I get to suffer through. According to everyone it's all worth it." Bulma added with a shrug. Patting her tummy once more Bulma figured she'd agree once this was all over and she was holding her son or daughter in her arms. Hopefully anyway. Plus she'd have her mom to pamper her constantly which would be a definite plus.

Thinking about that Vegeta began to feel a little bit guilty for helping to get her into this predicament. Obviously being pregnant was not a pleasant situation to be in. It was strange but she almost seemed to be looking forward to it, Vegeta thought, watching her absently stroke her stomach. Maybe being with child affected ones ability to think and reason clearly. Then again, he'd never professed to understanding how her brain worked in the first place. "Why do you seemed happy about the idea?"

"Hmm?"

"None of what you just describe sounds remotely appealing but you seem happy about all this. Why aren't you upset or at the very least bitchy? You were bitchy before you were pregnant so why stop now that you actually have some reason to be."

Giving him a not at all amused look Bulma briefly considered throwing her pillow at him. No, he'd just destroy it so that she couldn't do it again. Heaving a sigh she turned back to her sorting so that she wouldn't have to look at him as she considered her answer to his question. "Well I was sorta upset when I first found out but I guess I've come to realize that this is a really good thing too. I get a baby and now I don't have to have a husband to get one. I'm at a point in my life where I can not only provide the baby with everything he or she could want but also give our baby all my time and attention. I can't say having you play the role of my baby's father thrills me to no end because this means we'll have even more to fight about but in the long run, I'm okay with that too. As for not being bitchy...well you should be glad if I really am behaving better. You on the other hand haven't changed a bit."

Smirking since he wasn't the least bit insulted Vegeta wondered just how much more this whole childbearing thing was going to change her. He rather liked her the way she was though he'd sooner bite his tongue off than admit it. She wouldn't be the least bit entertaining if she wasn't the spoiled, bitchy female that she'd always been.

* * *

"Anyway, scoot and let me finish up here. Oh and I'm going to call Yamcha to visit tomorrow so you'll want to stay in your training room all day." Bulma informed him, looking up from her clothes in time to see him grimace at the news. "Hey, at least I told you beforehand. Now you can avoid him and the bloodshed that could possibly follow."

"But I like spilling his blood."

"I know, I'm trying to avoid that." Was her dry response as she straightened, her hands going to her hips as she turned to face him. "I don't get why you two hate each other so much. If you'd just stop picking on him I think you two could at least manage to be civil."

God but she was an idiot sometimes, Vegeta thought with a slightly wider smirk. Anyone with the least bit of sense would know exactly why he hated Yamcha, a hatred that was completely mutual. It might have started from being on opposites sides of the battlefield at one time but now it was really all about one thing and one thing only. Bulma. It didn't matter that those two had broken up, Yamcha still thought of Bulma as his territory. Territory Vegeta was trespassing on since he was living in the same house as her. Oh if only the stupid human knew just how much trespassing had taken place, Vegeta thought as his smirk edged towards a grin. Once the pathetic weakling clued in he'd with out a doubt start a fight and than finally he'd have a solid, concrete reason to kill the waste of space. Self defense as Yamcha could be counted upon to rush into the fight, aka start it and wouldn't that just be perfect. "Why is he coming?" Vegeta finally asked, wondering if Bulma had bought the other man something on her trip. Whenever anyone went away they always seemed to feel the need to buy things for people, himself included. Had she bought him anything, Vegeta wondered, looking at the bed with new interest.

"Well I have to tell him about the baby."

* * *

His interest in the contents of her suitcases vanishing in a flash he narrowed his eyes as he looked her in the eye. "Why? It doesn't concern him."

"He's my friend, Vegeta, one of my best ones. How can I not tell him something so important?" Raising an eyebrow at the vibes he was giving off Bulma wondered why it was that every time she mentioned Yamcha he got like this. Around her other friends he was just rude but when it came to Yamcha it was like he hated the guy even more than he hated losing to Goku. Okay, that was exaggerating a bit but it was still unreasonably bad between the two. So far nothing she'd said had improved matters between them either.

"Are you going to tell him it's my child?" Vegeta asked instead, trying not to let his irritation show. So she'd run to another continent rather than tell him about the baby but it was wrong not to tell Yamcha as soon as she got back? He was the father, dammit. If she should have been in a hurry to tell anyone it should have been him!

"Well he's going to want to know and once the baby goes Super Saiyan it's going to be pretty obvious just who to point the finger at. Better to tell him now and get it over with."

"True...not even he's stupid enough to point a finger at Goku."

"What's with that look in your eye.." Bulma asked slowly, not liking that look at all. It was anticipation she was seeing in those dark black depths and every cell in her body was screaming warnings of impending doom. Just what was going on in that twisted Saiyan brain of his?

"Nothing." Shrugging Vegeta made an effort to hide all emotion from her before she began to suspect how much he was looking forward to tomorrow. He certainly wouldn't be spending his day in the training room, Vegeta thought with inner glee. No, he'd be keeping an eye out for Bulma's ex and eagerly awaited the idiot's attempt to do him in once Bulma broke the news to the imbecile about the baby. Yes, tomorrow was going to be a very good day.

* * *

The next day the first clue that something was horribly wrong was the sight of Vegeta actually lounging by the pool with a glass of juice in his hand. He looked relaxed and without a care in the world, neither of which he'd ever been. Frowning Yamcha's eyes narrowed as he watched his arch enemy's head turn to look at him, dark shades hiding any emotion Vegeta might have shown. "Where's Bulma?" Yamcha asked, keeping three meters between them as he tried not to show how much he hated having to ask. How much he hated this man in particular.

"She's repairing one of my training droids." He'd had quite a bit of fun screwing around with that machine's programing, Vegeta thought absently, sipping on his straw as though being near the idiot goofball didn't make him want to use the pool for something other then it's intended purpose. Unfortunately, he was pretty sure there were hidden security cameras that would catch him drowning the idiot on purpose.

"She's not your slave you know." Okay, so he knew picking fights with Vegeta was akin to putting a loaded shotgun to ones head and pulling the damn trigger. It hadn't stopped him before and it obviously wasn't stopping him now. There was just something about the smirking bastard that made him lose all his common sense. Especially when he thought about what the bastard must put Bulma through on a regular basis.

"If she was she'd be wearing a lot less." God but he loved playing with minds, even if this one was so simple it was almost beneath him. Almost.

* * *

"God I hope Goku kills you one of these days. Then I'm going to throw a party and dance on your grave with Bulma, you bastard."

Raising an eyebrow Vegeta couldn't quite hold in the grin that crossed his face. "Well since Goku's convinced that I've been reformed I can't see that happening any time soon. As for dancing on my grave...well I think she'd be very upset that I was dead. Then again, I know her in a lot of ways you don't, now don't I?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Yamcha demanded to know, his eyes narrowing to mere slits as bright color appeared on his cheeks. The bastard was just playing with his head, he told himself, even as his gut told him another story.

"Well you could try to use what little intelligence you have and find out. I did tell you where Bulma is after all." Vegeta pointed out, not surprised that everything the lowly human was thinking was written all over the idiot's face. This was why he was an especially bad fighter, Vegeta thought in disgust. Only a fool let their enemy read them like that. If it weren't for Goku the human cretin would have probably died a long time ago, Vegeta thought. It really was a pity Goku had ever met the other man.

"Go to hell."

"I've been there, thanks. But any time you want to visit it just give me a call." Vegeta replied with an almost cheeky grin now. "I'd be happy to be the one to send you there."

"You think you're all that but you aren't, Vegeta. You'd have nothing if it weren't for Goku and Bulma putting up with you. You're going to die without any family, friends or even people that marginally liked you. Hell you probably would have never gotten past first base with any woman if you hadn't been royalty and able to break them like toothpicks if they said no." Turning on his heels Yamcha headed in the direction of Bulma's workshop leaving a confused Saiyan behind him who wasn't exactly sure just how he'd been insulted.

What exactly was first base?


	15. From Encouraging to Suggestive

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations I put them all in. thanks to all my readers and especially to my reviewers! Hope you enjoy this latest chapter and please review!

Sorry about the weird spacing, damn FanficNet.

From Encouraging to Suggestive

Hearing feet stomping hard on concrete Bulma knew who was coming before Yamcha came into view. If Vegeta had been stomping around like that he would leave craters in his wake, Bulma thought as she bit back a grin since from the look on his face Yamcha wasn't in a grinning mood. She'd thought Vegeta was up to something and this pretty much confirmed it. "I take it you ran into Vegeta?" Putting on her most sympathetic face Bulma was cursing Vegeta inside. He just had to make this whole thing that much more difficult, she fumed.

"I'd sell my soul to the devil himself for the ability to kill that son of a bitch."

"Why would Vegeta want your soul?" Bulma joked, not surprised when he just continued to scowl darkly. No one got to Yamcha the way Vegeta did. She was pretty sure tormenting Yamcha was one of Vegeta's favorite things to do. Right up there with blowing things up and destroying her inventions.

"How can you live with that assehole? I swear to God it's a wonder you haven't killed yourself. I still say you must have gone temporarily insane to let him stay here. Aren't you worried that some day he'll just up and blow you all away? He's a mass murderer for Christ sakes. When he dies Hell won't take him because Satan will know that son of a bitch would take over."

"You know, you should really stop calling his mother a bitch. She might have been a very nice woman. It's not her fault Vegeta turned out the way he did."

"I'm not in the mood for your jokes. Just tell me what it is you dragged me here for so that I can go home and beat the hell out of inanimate objects and pretend that they're a certain Saiyan bastard." Looking ready to chew nails Yamcha only wished he could go out there and beat the hell out of the real deal. The fact that Vegeta would beat him to a pulp within minutes was lowering. Especially since minutes might be just wishful thinking. Okay, was wishful thinking dammit.

"Damn, I told him to leave you alone." Rubbing at her temples Bulma tried to figure out a way to tell him that wouldn't make this that much worse. Damn, there really was no way to put this in a good light, especially since Vegeta had already wound Yamcha up. Deliberately no doubt. "Look, Yamcha." She began, her face going serious. "There's something I've got to tell you and it's really going to make you mad and upset. The fact that you're already mad and upset thanks to Vegeta is going to just make this that much worse."

"Are you in some sort of trouble? Did that bastard do something to you?" Concern pushing away the mental images of decapitating Vegeta Yamcha reached over to take her hand in his, squeezing it gently. Something was definitely up.

I

"Some months ago..I sorta got into a relationship that I shouldn't have. I knew that the guy was a selfish, arrogant bastard and that things wouldn't end well but it..it just sort of happened. We've broken up but...well...I'm pregnant, Yamcha." Watching his face go slack with shock Bulma winced as she landed the final blow. "And that arrogant bastard...well he's a certain Saiyan prince you love to hate."

Letting her hand go Yamcha just stared at her in shock and growing horror. "Vegeta? You had sex with Vegeta! How the hell could you do that? IT'S HIM!"

"Yeah, a year ago I would have had to agree." Well, at least he hadn't keeled over from the shock, that was a good sign. At least she hoped it was since that shock was starting to wear off fast now that she'd admitted it had been Vegeta. "Look, things are over between us and it's not like it lasted long to begin with. The baby was completely unexpected but since I'm keeping it I wanted you to know. You're one of my best friends and well..it would be impossible to hide who the father is."

"How could you unleash another Vegeta onto the world! One is bad enough!" Backing away at her Yamcha couldn't believe what she'd just told him. He'd loved her, worshipped the ground she'd walked on and she'd dumped him. Now she'd just informed him that she been sleeping around with his arch nemesis, the cold blooded bastard, and that she was pregnant. Pregnant with Vegeta's child! And she sure didn't seem upset about it either. "How could you?" He said simply, shaking his head slowly as he stared at her like he didn't even know her. "How could you." Turning on his heels he walked out leaving Bulma to simply watch him go, knowing that going after him would just make things that much worse. If that was even possible.

I

Having gone back to training since he knew better then to be around when Bulma gave her former boy toy the news Vegeta was working up a good sweat when Bulma came marching in looking ready to kill him. Well, her little conversation had obviously gone well, he thought with satisfaction as her eyes threatened all sorts of painful retribution even from the other side of the room. "Something the matter?" He asked, actually daring to grin at her.

"Oh you know exactly why I'm pissed off at you. You just had to pick a fight with him, didn't you? Do you realize how much harder you made that for me?"

Now that she was up close Vegeta was surprised to see that her eyes were red rimmed from crying. She might have been really angry but she was hurting too, he realized. "He's not worth crying over." Vegeta pointed out, trying not to let the look in her eyes get to him. He wasn't going to feel guilty for taking advantage of the fact that her ex was a moron. Picking on Yamcha was as automatic for him as breathing. Of course he had set out to put the screws to the little cretin with more force, Vegeta admitted to himself, the eyes getting to him despite his better efforts. Damn, you'd think once the sex was over she'd have lost some of her ability to manipulate him with those damn things. Eyes like hers should be illegal. He wasn't supposed to feel guilty. He wasn't supposed to have a conscience for God sakes. He was a Saiyan!

"Why do you have to be such a bastard!" Tearing brimming Bulma glared at him as she struggled to keep her temper in check. Hitting him now would only do more damage to her physically since she knew from experience it would be like bashing her body into concrete. Reinforced concrete. "I asked you specifically, just this once, to leave him alone. He's my friend and now he's gone and I don't know if he's ever going to forgive me. We were together for years, Vegeta. He and I have a history and I might have just ruined those years because I was stupid enough to sleep with you! But why am I bothering to tell you, it's not like you care." Turning on her heels Bulma started to leave, only to have her arm caught by Vegeta who held her in her place. Whirling around she glared at him, too stubborn to let the tears fall. "What?"

"If he doesn't come back he doesn't deserve you for a friend in the first place, Woman."

I

Eyes going wide Bulma stared at him, in shock that he'd said anything at all, much less that. That was almost something a friend would say to comfort you. Of course this was Vegeta so there had to be some ulterior motive. He probably figured if she stayed mad she'd punish him in some way which she had been known to do in the past. He wasn't the only one who knew how to manipulate someone.

Letting her arm go Vegeta stuck his hands into his pockets. "What is first base?"

"Huh?" Blinking Bulma stared at him in confusion, wondering where the hell that had come from. She was too confused to even remember she was trying to figure out what he wanted from her. When he repeated his question Bulma raised an eyebrow, getting more confused by the minute. "Uhm...what does baseball have to do with anything?"

"Isn't baseball that stupid game your father likes where you hit a ball with a piece of wood then other idiots try to catch it?" When she nodded her head Vegeta shook his head. "That makes no sense."

"On that we agree. What does first base have to do with anything?"

"Just something that idiot said." Shrugging it off Vegeta decided that once again the moron had simply been demonstrating his lack of intellect. The fool did that pretty much every time he opened his mouth.

"You and Yamcha were talking about baseball?" Now she was really confused. It wasn't like Vegeta could play baseball, even if he wanted to. With his strength it just wouldn't be fair to the other players and no one would want to go against him. Not that he would want to of course. She was more likely to get breast reduction. That and as far as she knew Yamcha hadn't played in years. Not since high school anyway. So why bring it up? Or was this just one of those stupid guy things that made sense only to them. Then again Vegeta obviously wasn't getting it either. "What exactly did he say?"

"He said that I probably would have never gotten past first base with any woman if I hadn't been royalty and able to break them like toothpicks if they said no. What does baseball have to do with women? It's not like they would have the strength to play a decent game anyway." When she started chuckling he raised an eyebrow, when she broke out in hold your ribs laughing he just didn't know what to think. "What?" He'd just said something she usually would have yelled at him for as being sexist. Why was she laughing?

Laughing so hard she was doubled over Bulma could feel the tears streaming down her face for a whole other reason. She could tell Vegeta was completely out to sea but she was laughing too hard to even attempt to explain it to him. Oh the irony, she thought, imagining the scene. Yamcha just gets done telling Vegeta that no woman would sleep with him unless she had to and then Yamcha talks to her and finds out his ex girlfriend had done exactly that. Willingly. She really shouldn't find that so hilarious but she couldn't get over the timing of it all. That, plus the fact that Vegeta had no idea just what Yamcha had been insinuating was absolutely priceless.

I

After a couple minutes of this Vegeta was torn between being glad she wasn't crying and annoyance that she seemed to be having quite the laugh, likely at his expense. Apparently whatever Yamcha had said to him was kill worthy after all. "So care to let me in on the joke?" He asked silkily, his dark eyes beginning to hint that he was far from amused.

Biting her lower lip as she struggled for control Bulma had to take a few deep breathes before she was up to saying anything. "If I tell you you have to promise not to kill him. You have to swear on the honor and strength of the Saiyan race that you won't or I'm not telling you."

Damn, she was starting to know him a little too well. If she'd asked him to swear on his own honor he would have done it and still killed the son of a bitch. His own honor was pretty much tarnished beyond repair at the moment. Now, if he wanted to find out what the little bastard had said he was going to have to promise not to kill the idiot for it. Then again, when wasn't Yamcha providing him with excuses to kill him. After all, he was just promising not to kill the useless human for this, not to never kill him. "Fine, I swear on the honor of my race. Now what did he mean?"

She could see from his eyes that he was up to something but he was also going to just hound her until she explained anyway. That or he'd go to her parents and that would just not end well at all. All she could really do was hope that by her explaining it as nicely as possible things wouldn't end too badly. For Yamcha. "First base is a metaphor usually used by teenagers. It's sorta hard to explain though because first, second and the rest means different things to different people by definition."

"What does it have to do with women though? I got the distinct impression he was insulting me. I just want to know how." Okay, she was hedging. Maybe he would be finding an excuse to kill the son of a bitch sooner rather than later.

"Actually, given why he came here it's actually pretty funny." Okay, he wasn't going to be put off. Big surprise there. "Basically, the whole first base comment was a..a reference to your luck with the ladies. Men usually refer to how far they've gone with a girl by using the whole bases thing since it sounds better than coming out and say just how far they got with the girl."

"So by saying first base I take it he meant I couldn't get very far with a woman unless by force."

"Exactly."

"I take it back. I'm going to kill him."

I

"NO!" Leaping at him automatically Bulma wrapped her arms and legs around him, acting as a human weight which was really laughable if you thought about it. He put on a hell of a lot more weight when he was training. In the gravity room. But it was the only thing she could think to do as she tightened her legs around his waist since there wasn't a lot of hip there to hold on to.

Staring into her face Vegeta couldn't believe she'd just done that, even as his body began to respond to having her wrapped around him like a second piece of clothing. "Get off." Putting his hands on either side of her waist he tugged gently to make a point. If she didn't let go he was going to have to make her and he didn't want to have to do that. He would though, rather than risk her figuring out that she could effect him still.

"Not until you promise you aren't going to kill him. Think about it, Vegeta. Think of the irony!" Instinctively tightening her grip, since it wasn't much thanks to her lack of grip and her growing stomach that even loose T-shirts were beginning to be unable to hide Bulma knew every word here counted. Well that and being in this sort of full body contact with him again was doing things to her insides that her increased hormone levels were only making that much worse. Damn but he had one bitchin bod.

"What irony?"

"He said you couldn't get first base and then he finds out you've been hitting grand slams with his ex girlfriend." Okay, so this was going to require some serious ego stroking on her part. The worst part about it, or the best part depending on your point of view, was that she wouldn't even have to lie in this case. "I mean he may have hit some homers in his day but your batting average is still better consistency wise and not only did you hit grand slams but you totally blew the other teams away."

I

Struggling to follow her baseball metaphors Vegeta was getting the just of it. Or at least he thought he was. If he was following her she was saying that he was a lot better in bed then Yamcha was and that the fact that that idiot knew that was a bigger and more appropriate revenge then merely killing the annoyance off. A smug grin sliding across his face his eyes took on an almost rakish look as they stared into her blue ones. "So explain these bases to me. Exactly how do you define each one, Woman?"

Cheeks going pink Bulma let go, intending to get down when his hands, which had been resting so innocently on her waist moved to cup her rear end, holding her against him as her hands moved to his chest to at least brace her upper body away from him. "Put me down! You told me to get off and now I'm trying to!"

"After you tell me." He told her, his dark eyes showing his amusement.

But there was more there than just amusement, Bulma thought in surprise, unable to look away. There was something there she'd thought she'd never see in his eyes again. He still wanted her, she realized in shock, for the first time becoming aware of the possessiveness of his hold, the increase in heart rate under her hand. So she'd been right all this time. It hadn't been that he'd stopped wanting her. He'd broken up with her for the opposite reason. And just how much did he want her, that he was unable to hide it completely from her. Her cheeks going from pink to red her fingers dug into muscle, holding on now instead of pushing herself away. But no, she couldn't do this. She wouldn't go through this again. Forcing her body to relax she did her best to keep her voice even and calm. "Put me down now, please."

"After you explain."

"Jerk."

"Shrew."

"You don't even know what a shrew is!"

"True but I know you hate being called one."

"Oh kiss my ass!"

"I have."

"SHUT UP!"


	16. From Suggestive to Caring

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations I put them in. Everything else belongs to somebody else so give the credit and flames where they're due. Thanks very much for reading and please review because I'd love to hear from you.

From Suggestive to Caring

"You're so annoying!" Bulma practically snarled when he just continued to grin at her. This was what happened when you spent your formative teen years around Yamcha and Goku, Bulma thought bitterly. You got out of practice dealing with people as smart as you were. Not that it was really surprising that he was better at verbally sparring with her than she was with him. He'd spent his whole life pissing people off after all, likely on purpose too. She at least tried to get along with other people.

"So answer my question, woman." Was his smirking reply.

"Your arms have to get tired sometime." Oh who was she kidding, he could probably hold her up till the end of time and not even feel a twinge in those rippling biceps. Rippling biceps..yummy. Damn hormone overloads, Bulma thought bitterly, refusing to give into the urge to punch him in the shoulder. The last thing she needed was broken fingers on top of everything else. She needed a different approach. "And you're missing valuable training time." She added with definite satisfaction after thinking for a moment.

"You'll get bored enough to tell me before I have to get back to my training." So this was incredibly stupid and childish of him, so what? He had her ass in his hands for the first time in months and she was practically plastered against him. It was like being presented with a banquet after months of bread and water. As long as he limited himself to this, when there was no reason for her to suspect his real motive, it was okay. He'd put her down in a moment, but for these precious seconds he'd savor the feel and scent of her. Both had haunted him for so long.

* * *

Tapping her fingers impatiently on his broad shoulders Bulma gave a moments thought to boxing his ears seeing as they were right in front of her. You didn't need strength, just viciousness to do it. She was definitely feeling pissed off enough to attempt it. He'd drop her though and she really didn't want to risk that, even though she was pretty sure a short fall like that wouldn't do any real harm. Besides, instead of dropping her he might do something worse, like breaking all her machines at once or something equally annoying and time consuming. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were doing this just so that you could grab my ass." Bulma muttered, unaware for the moment that she'd hit the nail on the head.

"There's certainly more of it then there's been for a while."

"You really want me to try and kill you, don't you?"

Rolling his eyes at the daggers she was shooting out of her fiery eyes Vegeta could only marvel at the woman's preoccupation with her ass. It really was mind boggling. "If you don't tell me I'm going to drop you on said ass." He replied, instead of making a crack about her obsession with her ass. He knew from experience that wouldn't end well.

"You wouldn't dare."

Pretending to let go Vegeta was rewarded as she let out a gasp while she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, her legs coming around his waist in a vise tight hold. "Now will you tell me?" He whispered into her ear as she muttered curses under her breath. She really did have the most interesting way with words, he thought in amusement.

"Bastard." Was her hissed response as she loosened her grip. Unfortunately he'd returned his hands to her ass which meant that even if she let go of him she wasn't getting down until he was damn well ready. It wasn't like an elbow to the gut would faze him in the slightest. "You don't even care about the answer to the damn question!"

* * *

"How do you know? You're always saying I should take more of an interest in human culture." Vegeta pointed out, though she was once again pretty damn close to the mark. Yes he was curious about this whole bases thing but he was doing this more for the physical contact and to annoy her. He knew she'd figure it out.

"Yeah, and this isn't you taking an interest in my planet, pal. This is you wanting to watch me squirm."

And how he did love her squirming, Vegeta thought, though he was pretty sure they weren't thinking about the same sort of squirming. "Would I do that?"

"Hell yes!" Bulma fumed, hating more than anything when he deliberately tried for an innocent tone, just to make it that much more obvious that what he was saying was sarcastic. "Put me down gently, on my feet, or I'll...I'll...damn it." She couldn't even draw blood if she bit him. She couldn't bust his eardrum if she screamed into it and any blows she might magically land would hurt her more than him. What could she do, dammit?

To her utter shock he removed his hands, so that it was only her own arms and legs that were keeping her against him. Letting go she slid down, landing on her feet slowly as she stared up in him in shock. "Something wrong, woman? This is what you wanted, isn't it?" Vegeta asked, even though he was well aware of why she was staring at him with such a surprised look on her face. She hadn't expected him to give up.

"And since when has what I wanted matter to you?" Was her hot response as her look of confusion turned to a glare, her hands naturally going to her hips.

"You have no idea."

Blinking Bulma stared at him, watching him turn and give her his back as he started to walk across the room towards the door. "Where do you think you're going?" She demanded to know, unable to think of anything else to say. Too much of her brain was concentrating on trying to figure out just what he'd meant by that comment. She was so peeved she couldn't even see straight!

* * *

Vegeta ignored her since he didn't actually have a destination in mind and saw no reason to lie to her or become obligated to do something just to fit his excuse. It was laughable really, but he, the great Saiyan warrior, was actually running away from her, a weak, human female. But at times like this, it was all he could do. Since he'd found out she was with child, he'd even done his best to not pick fights with her. That was failing miserably of course because no one pushed their buttons the way the other did. But he was trying. And as lowering as it was to walk away, there was nothing else he could do. She was right. Where she was concerned, he had a conscience however small. And staying any longer in her company would not end well.

Stalking after him it only took a few steps for Bulma to realize that it wasn't being pissed off that was affecting her vision. Weaving slightly, like a tipsy drinker on the way to being drunk Bulma stopped and swayed, hating to ask but knowing she had to. "Vegeta...would you help me sit down before you go?"

"What?" Turning around Vegeta took one look at her pale face and was back at her side in a moment, his hands on her waist as he demanded to know what was wrong.

* * *

"Just a little dizzy." Putting her hands on his strong shoulders for support Bulma lowered her head as she concentrated on her breathing. "I was too nervous to eat, that's probably it. I'll go make myself something once my head stops spinning."

"Idiot woman." Rather then helping her to the floor as she'd asked he easily swung her up into his arms and cradling her gently against his chest carried her out of the room and since it was the closest room with a bed headed for his own room. Depositing her on the bed as carefully as possible he towered over her as he gave her one of his 'don't even think about arguing with me' looks. "Stay there. If you get up you're going to regret it."

Watching him leave Bulma didn't quite know what to think as she rested her head back, against his pillow. Well that had certainly been unexpected. Hell, she was surprised he'd even bothered to turn around and help her. Now here she was, in his room, laying on his bed with him off doing lord only knows what. He was coming back, or at least he better or she was going to have to risk that whole punishment thing to get something to eat. She was hungry. Turning onto her side Bulma nuzzled her face against the pillow, breathing in his scent. He'd probably think she was nuts if she ever told him that she liked and was comforted by his scent. She thought she was nuts to think that way. Come to think of it, this was the first time she'd been in his room since they'd had that big fight after Valentines Day. When everything had gone to hell in the blink of an eye. No one quite did major blow ups the way they did, Bulma thought with a wry smile on her face. It was probably a good thing that they'd broken up, other wise they'd have had a lot more to fight about right now. As it was, they couldn't go an hour without finding something to bitch about. Just think how much worse it would be if they were actually legally bound to each other.

* * *

The question of just what Vegeta was up to was answered a few minutes later when he came back into the room with a tray in hand. Blinking Bulma sat up to stare at the messily made pile of peanut butter and banana sandwiches with a large glass of milk beside them. Tipping her head back to stare at his scowling face Bulma couldn't help but ask the obvious. "Is this for me?"

"Have you ever seen me show a liking to this disgusting combination?"

"No." Was her slow response. "It's what I've been eating constantly because it's what baby wants to eat."

"No child of mine would possibly want to eat that." Vegeta stated as he set the tray on his bedside table with a slight thud. "You're just using him as an excuse to justify eating it."

"There's nothing wrong with peanut butter and banana sandwiches." Bulma muttered, reaching over to grab the first sandwich, noting with a slight smile that he'd made her four sandwiches which was just crazy because even if she'd been starving she wouldn't have been able to eat so many. Just because she was eating for two didn't mean she had the appetite of two people. Two was going to do her. He was the one that went through food like a starved maniac.

"Just shut up and eat. It was bad enough I had to make it." He was about to continue on that tangent when he saw that there were tears in her eyes, rolling down her cheeks as she stared up at him with one of the sandwiches clenched in her hands. "Why are you crying!" Instinctively backing up Vegeta looked at her like she was a bomb about to explode.

"You...you made me sandwiches!" Bulma choked out, the tears coming fast and steady now as she stared up at him, those blue eyes of hers shimmering with emotion.

"So?" She hadn't even taken a bite yet, how could they be making her cry when she hadn't even tasted one yet? Besides, how the hell could he have possibly screwed up the sandwiches when all he'd had to do was slather peanut butter on a piece of bread and put slices of banana on top? Even someone as simple minded as Yamcha could do that.

* * *

"You...you..you won't even make a sandwich for yourself!" Setting the sandwich back down on the tray Bulma wiped the tears roughly away with the back of her hand, unsuccessfully trying to stop the tears from flowing. It was just that he'd actually gone to the trouble of making her some lunch when he bitched about having to dial a number to call for take out. So it was stupid and not worth crying over but her stupid hormones were out of whack and it was just so nice of him, so out of character. He'd done something for her without being asked, out of concern for her well being. Just the thought had her bawling all over again so that she was practically sobbing her eyes out.

"You're crying because I made a sandwich which I wouldn't normally do." Okay, she'd gone emotional over some pretty stupid things over the years but this definitely took the prize. He was never going to understand her even if they were stuck together for the next thousand years.

"No, you don't...nevermind." Bulma sniffed, rubbing her eyes again. "It's just my hormones going whacky on me. Sorry about this."

"Your mom did mention something about that." Of course the silly woman had also said she'd had major cravings for mint ice cream late at night with caramel sauce on top when she'd been pregnant with Bulma. That he was definitely not going to make. Ever. The thought alone was enough to turn his stomach.

"I'll be fine." Bulma assured him, smiling at him brilliantly through her tears. "Thanks, Vegeta. Thanks for the sandwiches."

"You're welcome."

* * *

Needless to say Vegeta didn't make it a habit of catering to Bulma as the pregnancy went on and the baby grew causing her stomach to grow and round out. At the most he was a little more considerate about waiting for his equipment to be repaired but that was about it when you got right down to it. He left the extreme babying to her parents and stayed out of her way unless she sought him out about something which was more and more often as the pregnancy progressed. Her parents though, had experience in these sorts of things and to be frank, he couldn't stand to be in the same room when the two women were discussing the horrors of pregnancy and labor. Her father joined him in retreating from the room immediately whenever the subject was brought up. According to Doctor Briefs he should be very thankful that Bulma didn't want him in the delivery room. Mrs. Briefs thought he should be but Vegeta had been quick to point out that since Bulma was the one who was going to have to go through labor she should at least be able to decide who was in the room. He sure didn't want to be.

The doctor had been surprised by how fast the baby was developing but Bulma opted not to mention the fact that the baby's mixed blood might have something to do with that. A couple weeks after the sandwich incident Bulma was starting to feel flutters in her stomach, her baby starting to explore his surroundings with his hands and feet. It was a weird feeling, not to mention the fact that the faint flutters came out of nowhere, often surprising her unexpectedly. So far they hadn't become frequent enough that she'd rushed to put someone's hand on her stomach to feel. Like his or her father this baby liked to keep you guessing and especially liked to do the good old flutter and stop. It had also been an interesting experience to go shopping, having to rethink all her sizes for the first time in a long time. Since she'd always preferred close fitting clothing she'd outgrown a lot of her clothing pretty quickly, much to her dismay. Luckily she loved shopping almost as much as she loved being an expecting mother and needless to say all the stores were very glad to see her as she blew more and more money on clothes as she grew out of her old ones. Thanks to her current condition all the top quality baby stores in the city now knew her on sight too and were just as happy to see her as she blew even more outrageous sums of money as she prepared for her baby's arrival. On these occasions she even sometimes got Vegeta to come because as she pointed out, who knew what sort of girlie stuff she'd buy for his son or daughter if he wasn't there to supervise.

* * *

"This is the one." Bulma pointed, turning to look at Vegeta expectedly. "Wait till you see this cradle, Vegeta. It's absolutely perfect for the nursery."

"That's what you said about the last five cradles you ordered and then returned, woman." Was his sarcastic reply as he pulled into a parking spot a short distance from the store she'd pointed out. Thanks to her he probably knew just about every outlet that sold things for children in this whole damn city. "And I don't see why I have to come."

"You had to come because you took one look at the last cradle I bought and said your child was going to sleep in it over your dead body." Bulma reminded him as she undid her seat belt, reaching for the door handle to open her door. "You're here so that I don't have to send this one back if you hate it."

"I had no problem with the other four." Vegeta reminded her as he got out of his side and walking around the car went to her side to help her out since she was starting to have problems doing that with anything resembling grace. It was sorta funny to watch, Vegeta thought as he took her arm and held it steady until she was standing on the sidewalk. Letting her go he pressed the button to lock the doors before turning his attention back to her. She really did look like she'd swallowed a small watermelon whole.

"There were very good reasons why I sent those back." Pouting Bulma deliberately slid her arm into his, just to irritate him.

Looking pointedly at her arm in his Vegeta sent her a dark look. She knew perfectly well he hated shows of affection, especially in public.

"Don't look at me like that, I can't help it." Bulma fibbed, her pout growing under his dark look. "I read it in a book. Pregnant women have an instinctive need to have their men around them when they're pregnant because in more primitive times they depended on their men to keep them safe. I mean it's not like I'm in any condition to run away or fight off an attacker, right? Sure you're not my man but you're the closest thing I've got to one at the moment." When lying, it was always good to back it up with the truth. It was nice to have him there, just in case. The fact that that was just a bonus to go with her real reason was something he didn't need to know. Besides, he wasn't trying to pull his arm away as they walked down the street so obviously he'd decided not to make an issue out of it. Now she just had to get through another baby shopping trip with Vegeta. Now that was real work. Training to be a Super Saiyan was nothing in comparison.


	17. From Caring to Ohhing

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations I put them in. Everything else belongs to someone else so no suing poor me. Thanks for reading and please review because I'd love to hear from you!

From Caring to Ohhing

Walking into the store Bulma smiled over at Vegeta, overflowing with good will since he'd not only let her keep her grip on his arm but hadn't bolted at the door so that she'd had to drag him back. "Doesn't it smell wonderful in here?"

It smelled girlie, Vegeta decided, not finding anything appealing about that. It was too sweet and pink somehow. How anything could smell like a color he wasn't sure but it was what sprung to mind. "Lets just get this over with." He stated, not wanting to stay in this showroom full of expecting mothers longer than he had to. What if one went into labor or wanted to talk about the whole bloody process? He'd rather have his head shaved bald like Goku's idiot side kick.

"You're such a shopaholic." Was her dry response, her amusement plain.

"Ms. Briefs! Oh, Ms Briefs, welcome back!" The supervisor gushed as she came over, a motherly looking woman in her early fifties with the sort of smile that had Vegeta wondering if she was taking anything to smile so widely. No one could possibly be that happy working around women who could pop out a baby at any moment. A person would have to be on something to work here.

"Hello, Tandy." Smiling back Bulma could literally feel her former lover recoil from the supervisor blinding smile. Vegeta had a very, very low tolerance for perky people. The sooner she got these two away from each other the better. For Tandy. "I just brought Vegeta to see that cradle to get his opinion, I'm under strict orders not to even look at anything else."

"Like that's ever stopped you before."

* * *

Giving Vegeta dark look Bulma's eyes plainly threatened retribution if he went into lecture mode about her spending habits. Like he was one to talk after all. She paid for everything he owed! If it weren't for her he'd have nothing in his closet but training outfits for Christ sakes.

"Oh! Is this your young man?" The older woman asked, her curiosity plain as she looked the scolding man over. Well he certainly was well built, she thought, and handsome in a rugged, almost harsh way. He must be a sweetie underneath though, to come and take Bulma cradle shopping. So few men today took an active interest in their special someone, too busy with their work and own pursuits to participate in this special time. It just went to show that you couldn't judge a book by its cover. This young man looked like a cold hearted warrior but had come to a baby store to look at furniture to please the mother of his child, she thought with a gooey sigh. Her own husband had only cared about the price of her purchases, she thought darkly.

"He's the baby's father, yes." Bulma answered before Vegeta opened his mouth and said something that would cause her to be obligated to hit him. That would just end painfully for the both of them. "Is the cradle still on display?"

"Of course, it's one of our best sellers." Tandy agreed, already turning to lead the way. This would be quite the commission and if she'd brought the father than obvious she was serious about this one. Which just happened to be the most expensive one in the store, bless her soul. "So has the baby started kicking very hard yet, Ms. Briefs?" Tandy asked, slipping into sell mode.

"A couple of times but baby is still being pretty good about not playing kick ball with mommy's tummy just yet. Either that or baby inherited a certain someone's stubbornness about doing what mommy wants." Was Bulma's sly response which widened as that someone sent her a dark look.

* * *

Following because he didn't have much of a choice as they chattered on about things he'd rather not think about it didn't take him long to notice that he was the only male in the whole room. Dammit, he was surrounded by females with no rational individuals in sight. Pregnant women were emotional time bombs just waiting to go off at the slightest thing, Vegeta thought darkly, recalling vividly the night before when Bulma had started balling over a baby diaper commercial. If anyone started crying he was going to be out of there so fast their heads would spin. It was everyone for themselves when it came to tears and babies combine.

Arriving at the cradle display area Bulma tugged him over to a beautiful oak cradle polished a high gleam as it spun around slowly on its podium. "So, what do you think?"

"It looks like the second cradle you got and sent back." In fact, he couldn't really see the difference between the two. God but her hormones had made her screwy in the head. There had been nothing wrong with either cradle and this just proved his point. She'd gone buggy thanks to the baby and had lost what little common sense she'd had in the first place.

"You think so?" Chewing on her bottom lip Bulma considered the cradle she'd been so hyped about before but was now rethinking, much to Tandy's horror. "But this is oak instead of walnut."

"And do you really think the sort of wood used is going to effect whether or not it's a good cradle?" Vegeta pointed out, rolling his eyes at her stupidity. "You should be considering the features anyway, rather than the color of the thing." At least that's what made the most sense to him. Some of the ugliest space ships he'd ever been in had been light years better than the sleek beauties others turned out by the dozens. When it came down to it what was under the hood was a lot more important then what the hood looked like. A hood that was liable to get banged to hell anyway if used. He had no idea what made a good cradle but the woman had been reading about every subject remotely related to babies so she had to have some idea.

* * *

"You've got a point." As much as she hated to admit it. Letting go of Vegeta's arm she walked over to the cradle, fisting her hand as she slid it through the bars. "Depending on how big the baby's head is it could get stuck between these bars." She said with a frown, ignoring Tandy's breathy sales pitch. "And wood is a really hard material, we'd have to pad it really well since the baby's bound to be extremely active like his daddy. I liked this one because he could grow up in it and it would last a while but now I'm not so sure. What do you think, Vegeta?"

"I think you should just make one."

"What?" Surprised Bulma turned her head to look at him questioningly, her mind already whirling with possibilities as his words sank in.

"Well you've found fault with almost every cradle and piece of baby furniture you've looked at so far. Why don't you just build the furniture to your specifications. Anything we have at home that you don't like you remodel." He pointed out logically, only surprised that she hadn't thought of it early. "It would give you something to do, designing the things, and if you aren't able your father and I can put it together."

Bulma wasn't sure which shocked her more, him calling their house home or that such an awesome idea had come out of his battle obsessed mind. Smiling hugely she hurried over and pulled the surprised Saiyan into a big hug. "That's a wonderful idea, Vegeta! I can't believe I didn't think of it before. Thank you!"

Tolerating the hug he was glad she was happy, even if she had hugged him in public in front of everyone. She seemed to feel like hugging everyone lately. "Whatever. Can we go now?"

Laughing Bulma grinned up at him, leaning forward to startle him with a quick kiss on the cheek. "Yeah, we can definitely go now. I won't even make you take me shoe shopping like I'd planned."

"Thank the Gods."

* * *

As soon as they got home Bulma started her plans which kept her busy for the rest of the week since she kept throwing out her old designs and starting new ones. She was a woman on a mission and Vegeta couldn't have been happier. She wasn't asking to go shopping, she wasn't crying around him, she wasn't around period. Life was good. Oh she popped in occasionally to get his opinion but usually she had the sense not to and left him alone. Today was not one of those days though, Vegeta thought as he lowered himself to the ground once he'd caught sight of her coming into his training room with several rolled up pieces of paper under her arm. "What do you want?" He asked, not that he didn't already know. Hopefully this would be about actually building the thing rather than critiquing another one of her creations. If any of them had clowns on them he was going to rip it up, even if it made her cry again. No son of his was going to sleep in a giant clown. Over his dead body.

"I want to show you my top three sketches." Bulma explained as she held the first one out to him. "I'm getting everyone's vote and which ever one gets the most voted is the one I'll get you and Daddy to make for me."

Taking the first on Vegeta unrolled it and scanned it before holding it back out to her to take back. Rolling her eyes at him she did so, handing him her favorite as she waited to see if it would get the same treatment. Unrolling it Vegeta scanned then paused, considering. It was the best she'd done so far, calling for a lot of decorative carving on the sides. It was old fashioned, sturdy and wouldn't be easy for the baby, half Saiyan or not to break. At least not for the first couple of months. Handing that one back he took a look at the third, giving it the same treatment as the first. "The second one."

* * *

Taking it back Bulma knew better than to tell him she agreed with him. He'd probably change his answer just to annoy her. "I figure you and Daddy can put it together and than I'll do the carving on the sides. I can sit down to do that part." Thankfully. God, if this baby got much bigger she was going to bed while she was still able to move without people thinking they were under attack by either Godzilla or an earthquake.

"Whatever." He didn't really want to make the damn thing but it was light-years better than taking the woman shopping. Even when he made her make a list she deviated from it. How hard was it to read a list and stick with those items, for Christ sakes.

"I really appreciate you helping, Vegeta. Years from now, when the baby grows up and has children of his own he'll use this cradle and tell the baby all about how grandpa made it for him." Bulma could see that Vegeta didn't find that idea nearly as appealing as she did. She knew that he was probably only helping her to get out of future shopping trips but she'd decided not to care about that. What mattered was that she and Vegeta would be making this together, a heirloom for their baby to treasure and maybe some day use for his own child. She liked that idea. That maybe generations from now it would be a family keepsake that she and Vegeta had built with their own hands. Plus, she could always lie to their child and say Vegeta had wanted to make it. He had after all, just not for the usual reasons.

Trying to imagine himself as a grandfather Vegeta decided he didn't want to think about that until he had to. Grandchildren would mean the further dilution of the Saiyan race and it was hard enough knowing that all that remained of his once glorious race was Goku, Gohan, himself and this child of theirs. How utterly depressing was that?

* * *

"What are you thinking?" Bulma wanted to know, catching the glimpse of something similar to pain in his eyes. Had he pulled something while he trained? It certainly wouldn't be the first time. He hated when she asked if he'd hurt himself training, taking offense at the idea that he could be hurt, even though he'd battered his body beyond recognition too many times to count "Do you have a headache?" She asked instead, opting for safer ground. No would could control a bad headache after all, not even a Saiyan.

"No, I simply dislike being reminded that we've been reduced to human females in order to carry on our Saiyan line." Perhaps it was harsh, he saw the flash of hurt in her eyes, but he didn't care. Much. It was the truth after all and she'd asked.

"Well...there are worse women you could have chosen. If you'd picked..a...picked a Namek than your babies would be green!"

Raising an eyebrow Vegeta couldn't help but imagine a green Saiyan, complete with those little antenna things Piccolo had sticking out of his head. His lips twitching it took most of his control not to break out laughing at the mental imagine she'd put in his head.

Seeing the twitch Bulma couldn't resist pushing his buttons just a little more. "Or I could be really ugly and stupid, than you might have ended up with a son that looks and acts like Yajirobe."

"Even with the worst possible mother no son of mine could end up like that useless disgrace of a living being." Just the thought of having a son like that useless piece of garbage was enough to make him ill. He'd rather have no son at all.

"So, you made a pretty good choice after all then." Elbowing him in the side teasingly she grinned at him. She hadn't gotten the laugh or chuckle she'd been hoping for but he looked amused now at least, even if it was at her expense.

Narrowing his eyes Vegeta had the uncomfortable feeling that he'd fallen into another one of her traps. She always got that particular gleam in her eye when she'd successfully gotten him to do something for her without him realizing it before it was too late. He hadn't acknowledged she was better than either a Namek or an ugly and stupid woman. She was of course, not that he'd mention that to her any time soon. So what exactly had she been trying to do?...An idea occurring his eyes narrowed more, watching her simply smile back at him innocently. Had she been trying to make him laugh again?

* * *

"So very serious." She said with a mock look of serious that was so exaggerated that his mouth twitched again. "I'd ask what's going on in that pointy head of yours but I probably don't want to know."

"My head is not pointy."

"No, but since your hair only stays down when you've just gotten out of the shower you'd never know that it wasn't as pointy as your hair." She pointed out with a teasing wink. She thought about mentioning how much his hair reminded her of Treasure Trolls but thought better of it. She'd save that one for their next fight. Would he even know what Treasure Trolls were? Not likely, but he'd look it up, he always did when he didn't get her more creative, earth based insults.

"At least I don't constantly feel the need to have my hair styled and cut." Though he had to admit, the current one was a definite improvement over that poofy style she'd worn before, where it was all curly and around her face. He liked it straight and down, the way it had been when they'd first met and he'd tried to blow her up.

"Says the man who never changes his hairstyle even remotely."

"Unlike you my personal appearance isn't my top priority."

"Well duh, you're naturally beautiful. Some of us have to work at it!" Slapping her hand over her mouth as she realized what she'd said Bulma watched Vegeta's mouth actually drop in shock at what she'd said. Opps, she hadn't meant to say that.

"I can't wait until you're not pregnant anymore and your brain starts functioning again." He finally said, stuffing his hands into his pockets roughly. He couldn't believe she'd just called him beautiful. Was she completely insane? He wasn't beautiful, he was a man and a Saiyan, by the gods. Saiyan warriors sure as hell were NOT now or had ever been beautiful. Bulma was beautiful, he was a well oiled killing machine. A bad ass, he assured himself, shaken at the idea that someone, anyone, could even for a minute apply such a girlie word to him.

"There's nothing wrong with my brain." She shot back hotly, her bottom lip sticking out in a pout. He knew how she hated to have her intelligence questioned. She was about to give him hell for suggesting it wasn't when she felt a hard kick to her stomach. The inside of her stomach to be exact. "OH!"

"Oh what?" Vegeta wanted to know, curious as to what had put that expression on her face. Wasn't she supposed to yelling at him right now?

"Feel!" Grabbing his hand before he had time to yank it back she slid the calloused hand under her shirt and placed it over her stomach where the baby had been kicking insistently.

Opening his mouth to ask what the hell she thought she was doing the words died as he felt something bump against his hand. "What the hell?!"

"Say hello to baby, Vegeta."

"Oh."

I


	18. From Ohhing to Laboring

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations I put them in. Everything else belongs to somebody else and that's just the way it's gotta be unless you buy the franchise for me. Either way, thanks very much for reading and please review because I'd love to hear from you!

From Ohhing to Laboring

God she hated walking. Okay, so it wasn't the walking she hated so much as the fact that she waddled whenever she did do it. Blowing her bangs out of her eyes Bulma heaved a sigh and hoped that she'd find Vegeta soon because there was no telling how soon she'd need to go pee again thanks to a certain large mass pressing down on her bladder. Oh the joys of impending motherhood. Heaving a sigh of relief when she finally spotted him sitting in one of the lawn chairs by the pool she did her best not to waddle as she approached him to interrupt his star gazing for a minute or two.

Well aware that she was there Vegeta glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, as always amused by her awkward and decidedly comical walk. Not that he was foolish enough to mention that fact, especially since she'd thrown ever single item in her tool box at his head the last time he had. Apparently telling her she walked like a fat drunk was not something pregnant women cared to hear. Wondering idly what had brought her out to speak with him he turned his gaze from the heavens above to her as she carefully lowered herself into the chair beside his. "Aren't you supposed to be in bed?" She was due in two weeks after all. They were both counting.

"In a minute." Wincing Bulma carefully settled herself in, thankful for the support of her back as she leaned against the wicker seat. "Nice night for star gazing."

"I wasn't star gazing. I was thinking." Only idiots stared up at the sky just to appreciate the stars above them, he thought with a roll of his dark eyes. It wasn't like you could really see any of the planets without help from here and even then they were always there, every night until they were blown up by some means. A night sky was a night sky no matter where you were as far as he was concerned.

* * *

Since the whole reason why she'd come out in the first place was to find out what had been occupying the Saiyan's mind for the last couple weeks Bulma jumped on the opening he'd practically tailor made for her. "What were you thinking about?"

"Planning."

Something in his tone had her straightening in her seat as she gave him her full attention. "Planning what?"

"I'm going into space to train. I've tried here on Earth long enough and I have yet to attain the abilities of a Super Saiyan. It stands to reason that my training can only improve in space, away from distractions and inferior training facilities. No one will care what I blow up up there." He added with a very Saiyan smirk on his harsh face.

"You're leaving us? When will you be back?"

Hearing not just fear but pain in her voice Vegeta looked over at her in surprise, seeing her struggle to keep her face neutral and failing miserably. She was upset about the idea of him leaving her, Vegeta thought, absurdly pleased at the idea. There had also been a definite question in her tone when she'd asked when he was coming back. As if she didn't expect him to come back at all. "I'll be back when I become a Super Saiyan."

Opening her mouth to point out that if he hadn't obtained Super Saiyan level by now he probably wasn't ever going to Bulma forced her mouth to close, knowing that it would only make him angry and more likely to go just to spite her. To become a Super Saiyan was his major goal in life, even before beating Goku in a fight. It was the most important thing to him in the world and thinking otherwise was just fooling herself. She was probably lucky he'd stayed around this long. "When are you leaving?" She finally asked, biting down on her lower lip to keep from choking on the words.

"After the baby is born. I imagine you'd attempt in your pitiful way to kill me if I left before then."

"Damn right I would."

* * *

His words were hurting and worrying her. He didn't know what he was supposed to do about that. He had to go, he had to become a Super Saiyan now, more than ever. It wasn't just him now, he didn't need to obtain that sort of power just for personal gain and protection, as it had always been in the past. She was carrying his child, his one and only heir within her womb and it was his duty, his obligation to protect the both of them with his life. He was getting no where with his training here on Earth, he wasn't strong enough to protect them the way Goku could. And even Goku had failed to protect his son. And that was the root of his worry. If Goku couldn't manage it than what chance did he have if someday someone came and attempted to harm Bulma or their child? He had come to Earth with nothing but hate and the knowledge that he was what remained of a once proud and noble race. Now, for better or for worst, he had two lives that were dependent on him to survive and be kept safe. If he failed them, as he'd failed his people, then what was the point in living at all? If he couldn't protect them, then he truly was as worthless as Goku's human groupies. He couldn't tell her that, couldn't admit that to anyone, having just recently been able to admit it to himself. His reasons for living had gone from two to four before he'd even realized it. One was to beat Goku and the second had been to become the most powerful Saiyan of all time, a living reminder of his kind's greatness. Now, protecting Bulma and the child had become reasons, even more important than the original two.

Watching her watch him he was speaking before he'd even realized he'd opened his mouth. "Goku's boy, Gohan...he was taken..kidnapped when he was younger. That woman of his was no match for them and only got hurt trying to protect him. You're even weaker physically than she is."

Eyes going wide Bulma stared at him, processing what he'd said and why he might have said it. "I know Chi Chi could kick my ass, pregnant or not. What's you point?" She asked slowly, watching him carefully. She'd bet her entire fortune he hadn't meant to say anything, it was written all over his face. But he'd said it and now she wanted to see what else she could get out of him before he refused to give her any more insight into why he was leaving.

He didn't want to answer that but she had that look she got sometimes, signaling that she'd caught ahold of something and wasn't going to let go of it until she was damn well ready. In other words, he had to find the words to satisfy her without letting her know too much. Letting her in too much. "My point is that the same thing could happen and I need to be ready."

* * *

The light went on. A bright light coming into her eyes Bulma slowly smiled, the beauty of it taking Vegeta's breath away as she simply looked at him for a moment, their eyes locking and holding as the world faded away to simply the two of them. "Vegeta... For the first time since I've met you..I honestly believe you'll do it. You will become a Super Saiyan."

His turn to be surprised he was torn between annoyance and confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

"Being a Super Saiyan has been you goal for so long, well I've given it a lot of thought over the years and I think I'm right that it's about more than training and determination. Goku isn't really one for training, it's more of a game to him than anything else and he never knew what a Super Saiyan was so it's not like he set out to become one. You came from a warrior race, Vegeta, becoming stronger and more disciplined was what you all strove for. But you said yourself that Super Saiyans were incredibly rare, that the possibility of becoming one was almost thought to be more of a legend than an actual possibility. I think that that's because it doesn't depend on how many planets you blow up or how many enemies you defeat. I think that there has to be something inside that person, that Saiyan, that allows them to reach a level that others can't reach no matter how hard they try. I think, maybe, that the key is wanting it for the right reasons. That it's a gift, one you have to earn through character rather than battle. Now I know you think this is bullshit so don't even start." Bulma stated, throwing up a hand when he opened his mouth. She wasn't finished yet and she wasn't letting him interrupt her or get her off topic until she'd said her piece. "I'm just saying that knowing you want to become stronger for the baby makes me think you will come back, rather than stay up in space forever trying to achieve a nearly impossible goal. And it makes me happy, more than I can say, to know you care about our baby, even if the only way you're expressing it is obsessing over the idea that someday something or someone might try to hurt him."

It wasn't the first time she'd stated her opinion on the whole mystery behind the achievement of Super Saiyan status and he was pretty sure it wouldn't be the last. Her theory still annoyed the hell out of him but he was so used to it by now it no longer sent him into a destructive rage. Instead, he simply let it go and instead stated the obvious. "We'll just see about that. If you're right, I shouldn't be gone long at all. If I'm not back for a long time, you'll know I was right."

"True, thankfully the baby will bring you back if nothing else. You're stubborn and spiteful enough to stay up there just to spite me."

Since it was the truth Vegeta couldn't really argue with her. Though she was wrong in thinking that it would be only for the child's sake that he would return to Earth, even if he failed in his training. He would need to see her as well, need to be near her, if only from a distance. A necessary distance, at least for now.

"Well I'll tell Daddy to start preparing and modifying a ship for you to take. When you're up there, I'll send you pictures and video of the baby, so you won't miss out so much. Mom's already bought a new video camera and I have a feeling that once the baby's born it's going to become glued to her hand for the first few months at least."

"I would like that."

* * *

As the days went by preparation were made for Vegeta's trip as well as the baby's nearing arrival. Her parents had been less than thrilled when she'd explained to them about Vegeta going but Bulma had managed to get them to see that Vegeta was doing this for the baby's sake rather than his own. Or at least they pretended to get it since she'd gotten so worked up arguing with them that she went into false labor. After that, Bulma was always right and her word was law, even in Vegeta's case.

The real labor began early one Tuesday afternoon, Bulma assuming it was the normal pains until three hours of it started to really get on her nerves. After calling her doctor about it and being informed that she could in fact be having labor pains, which she'd always assumed were excruciating from start to finish, Bulma figured it would be a good idea to call her midwife. Once said midwife arrived the house descended into chaos with her mother and father getting all teary eyed and worried while Vegeta watched from the sidelines, his eyes never leaving her as she reassured her parents in between winces. Finally the women headed upstairs to Bulma's bedroom, Bulma's mother insisting on Vegeta carrying Bulma up before going back downstairs to wait since he wasn't staying for the delivery. The midwife informed him that he could if he wanted but the look on his face, as well as the mother to be's said plainly that that wasn't going to happen.

Getting out of there as soon as he could after laying Bulma down on the bed Vegeta went back downstairs, not really surprised to see Bulma's father still pacing away in the living room, puffing away at his pipe like he did when he had a particularly hard problem to solve. Only he'd never seen the man look so worried, Vegeta thought, picking up the scent of fear and worry easily enough. And why was that? The man wasn't smart enough to fear the things most intelligent people would, so why was he so worried about something women did every day. If anyone should be afraid it should be Bulma, considering the horrors she'd related learning in child birthing class. He'd heard war stories that were less stomach churning. Since he had no intention of wasting time pacing himself Vegeta was all set to leave when he realize there was no way in hell he was going to get anything done either. His child was going to be born shortly and somehow, for some reason, he felt that he should remain, just in case she needed him. For what, he didn't even want to think about but the possibility remained. In other words, to leave now would put him on the same level as that coward, Yajirobe. The mere thought of that was almost as stomach churning as the thoughts about what might be taking place the floor above him. And so he sat down and waited, and waited, and waited. Then he started being able to hear her and he started to get as worried as her father had been hours ago. The first time he'd heard her yell he'd immediately leapt to his feet, assuming that something had to be wrong and that she needed him. The hand on his shoulder had stopped him, Bulma's father patiently explaining that Bulma would be doing a lot of that until the baby was born. Since the man had been through all this once before Vegeta was forced to acknowledge that the man would know more about these sorts of things than he did. It got increasingly harder though, as the minutes ticked off, to stay where he was as she got louder and louder, the floors practically shaking with the force of her painful rage. Finally, he actually headed up the stairs, only to have his ears insulted in the hallway by a vivid description of just what she was going to do to him for getting her in this situation in the first place once she got ahold of him. "I've rubbed off on her." Vegeta murmured as he backed up and headed back the way he'd come, knowing his presence was definitely not wanted or needed. The tirade had included some impressive imagery and he was rather proud of her for being so inventive in her threats of bodily harm. She might be humanizing him in some ways but she was definitely picking up on some of his Saiyan traits as well. Only a Saiyan's woman would come up with something so excruciatingly painful and nearly physically impossible on the fly like that, he thought proudly, once again taking his seat in the living room.

* * *

The sun was nearly set when all the yelling finally stopped, the two men immediately picking up on this as they both got to their feet. There was a change in the air, as if somehow they could both sense that the storm was over. Minutes later Mrs. Briefs came rushing down the stairs and after hugging and crying all over the both of them for what seemed like forever she finally blubbered out that the baby had been born and that Vegeta was to go up.

Surprised, since he'd been pretty sure he was the last person Bulma would want to see at the moment, Vegeta went only because he wanted to get as far away from Mrs. Briefs crying as possible. Besides, he reasoned, Bulma had to be too tired after all that yelling to actually try and disembowel him. The midwife was waiting for him outside the door and held it open for him, beaming at him as if she hadn't just spent hours being screamed at over something she'd had absolutely nothing to do with. Weary, Vegeta went in, the door closing immediately behind him, not striking him as a good sign. His eyes automatically going to the bed his eyes made quick work taking in the most important pieces of information. Bulma lay in the middle of the bed, propped up by pillows, dressed in one of her nightgowns with a small bundle in her arms, wrapped in a blue blanket he recognized from one of her many shopping sprees. She didn't look murderous, in fact she looked radiantly exhausted, Vegeta thought as he slowly approached the bed, his eyes weary as they alternated between her face and the form she cradled so tenderly in her arms.

When he stood beside the bed, his dark eyes questioning Bulma shifted the baby carefully in her arms and freeing up a hand patted the mattress beside her, motioning for him to sit down. When he did, she scooted over slightly than twisted slightly so that Vegeta would have a proper view of the life they'd created together. "Trunks, this is your Daddy. Vegeta, this is your son, Trunks."

* * *

Note: Sorry to end it here but I forgot to ask an important question about Trunks in the last chapter. What happened to Trunk's tail since I would assume he was born with one since Gohan was. And don't worry, this scene is far from over lol. Also, for all those who have been asking for some romance between Veg/Bulma, you get it in the next chap. 


	19. From Laboring to Loving

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations I put them in. Everything else belongs to somebody else and that's just the way it's gotta be. Thanks to all my loyal readers out there, hope you enjoy and review this latest chapter.

From Laboring to Loving

The first thought that crossed Vegeta's mind as he stared down at his son was that the child was on the ugly side. He was small, incredibly tiny and was rather red, like he was blushing all over for some strange reason. Not to mention the hideously cutesy pink and blue blanket, which didn't help any. In fact, as far as he could tell, the Saiyan tail was the only thing that made it abundantly clear that this was a future Saiyan warrior. He hoped. Oh by the gods he hoped.

"Isn't he beautiful?" Laying a kiss on her son's downy head Bulma smiled up at Vegeta, looking very much the serene Madonna for the moment. The tail had been a bit of a shock to the midwife but she'd pulled through admirably, all things considering. It was going to cost her a fair bit to buy the woman's silence on it but she'd seen that one coming a mile away. The head of Capsule Core having a child with a tail was big news after all and the gossip mags would print it up like wildfire if they caught wind of even the chance that it could be true. Now she would just have to arrange for said tail to be removed and all would be right with the world, Bulma thought to herself as she nuzzled her cheek against her little boy's. "He's the most beautiful baby in the galaxy."

Rather taken aback by this, seeing as she'd been screeching like a harpy only hours before, Vegeta thought it wise to hedge his bets and not disagree with her about the child's looks, however wrong she might be. Then again, he'd almost prefer her yelling at him to looking all soft and dreamy like she was now. That was freaking him out more than a little bit. "He looks just like you." Apparently that was the right thing to say because her smile widened and she looked the way she did after she was half way through a bowl of ice cream. Yup, she was one happy human all of a sudden. Maybe the midwife had given her drugs? That would explain it.

"Do you want to hold him?"

Raising an eyebrow Vegeta looked from the baby to Bulma and that back again, his face saying it all. "No." Something that small and delicate? He'd break him without even trying. Besides, holding the child was her job, he decided, not willing to risk it. This was the only son he'd ever have after all and he didn't even want to think about what she'd try to do to him if he so much as touched the baby the wrong way.

"Why not?" A pout starting to form on her lips it was obvious that Bulma didn't like his answer one little bit.

"Do you really think you can trust me to do that properly?"

* * *

Having to admit he had a point Bulma figured it was pretty safe to assume that Vegeta had never held a child, much less a baby in his life. Plus, he hated to take instruct from anyone, especially from her when it came to the proper way to do things. In other words, she had to find another way to start the whole bonding process between father and son because there was no way she could count on that happening naturally. Turning the logistics around in her mind she came up with a feasible Plan B that while painful, would get her what she wanted. "Okay, then we'll do this." Shifting over more so that he had more room she instructed him to sit on the bed properly with his back against her headboard and his legs stretched out in front of him. Gritting her teeth against the pain moving caused Bulma slowly and carefully maneuvered herself onto Vegeta's lap, holding the baby against her with one arm while using the other for leverage as she slid into a more comfortable position. 

"What are you doing?" Vegeta demanded to know, unable to move since doing so would obviously hurt her more. Not that he didn't like her in his lap but this was neither the time nor the place.

"Holding him..for you." She explained, settling back against his warm, solid chest with a grateful sigh of relief. Shifting her hold so that she was once again holding Trunks in both arms Bulma turned her neck slightly so that she could see Vegeta looking at her like he thought she was an idiot. "Now put your arms under mine."

Refusal was at the tip of his tongue but she had just gone through hours of labor and this did seem to mean a lot to her. His eyes clearly conveying that he was doing this against his will Vegeta lifted his arms and wrapped them around her waist, just under her own arms so that they looked like they were both supporting their sleeping son. Annoyed by the smug smile that crossed Bulma's lips Vegeta turned his gaze back to his son, looking the boy over again as the child slept on. Maybe it wasn't so ugly after all, he decided, watching the small hand move in sleep, fisting against his mother's breast. The child would never be the beauty his mother was but looks weren't that important, in the grand scheme of things. In fact, his son was already making fists, Vegeta realized, pleased with the idea. Probably dreaming of battle, already willing to fight and do his race proud. Feeling warmer towards his small son now Vegeta figured that with plenty of food and training the height problem could be overcome and surely the boy's skin would become a more natural shade given time. Yes, maybe the boy had potential after all. Lifting one hand Vegeta brushed a finger against the delicate skin of Trunk's hand, watching the tiny fingers flex against his own. That's right, Vegeta thought, smiling slightly as he watched those tiny fingers shift against his own. I'm your father and I won't let your mother turn you into some weak momma's boy like Gohan is. No, you're going to be one bad ass Saiyan and you're going to kick Gohan's butt, just like I'm going to kick his father's one of these days. In fact, we can kill them both together. Doesn't that sound nice? Already planning all the things he had to teach his son now that he knew it was indeed a boy Vegeta decided he was glad he'd gotten her with child. Maybe this was a blessing, rather than the curse he'd assumed it would be. A son, Vegeta thought to himself. He had a son.

Surprised by the show of affection Bulma instinctively looked up, her breath catching in her throat at the look on her former lover's face as he gently brushed a finger against his son's hand. Love was too tame an expression to use for the look that had come into Vegeta's eyes, those black depths revealing rather than cloaking his feelings as they so often did. There was a fascination, a softness to them that had never been there before, even in Vegeta's most unguarded moments. Everything was going to be okay now, she realized, finally allowing her eyes to close as she relaxed completely again him. Yes ...everything was going to be okay.

* * *

As promised Vegeta stayed for Trunks' first two months, leaving the parenting up to Bulma while he watched from a safe distance. After all, he had to make sure she didn't coddle him too much. Of course he didn't put up much of a fight either when she dragged him into spending time with her and their son, only drawing the line when it came to diapers. He wasn't changing one of those and there was nothing anyone could say to change his mind. After witnessing it being done once, the Saiyan had quickly reached the conclusion that he wouldn't do it even if it meant achieving Super Saiyan status. There was just some lines a Saiyan didn't cross and this was one of them. Finally the week of his departure arrived and the Briefs got busy preparing for his departure, wanting to make sure that he had everything he could need in order to insure he got back in one piece. During that week Bulma could be found most often working on his ship, tinkering around with it and adding new features while Trunks watched from his carrier, happy to be wherever his mother was. Vegeta helped her out as well when he wasn't training and the two fought little for once, Bulma making it clear that she wasn't going to get into any of their usual pissing matches in front of their son, since it couldn't be good for him to hear his parents argue all the time. Secretly it had more to do with her determination to be on good terms with him when he left but the baby was a handy excuse.

* * *

Soon the big day arrived and after giving Bulma's father an awkward handshake and suffering through Mrs. Briefs' hugs and blubbering Vegeta bid adieu to Bulma's parents at the house before heading down to where the ship waited with Bulma and their son. Trunks, dressed up in a sailor suit Vegeta had deemed strange but acceptable, was quiet as always, content to simply watch and see what was going to happen next. His lack of crying and sound making in general had freaked out Bulma in the beginning but now she was the envy of every mother she knew. Being the mother of a child that only complained when something was really wrong was a status to be coveted. No, Trunks didn't say much of anything and Bulma couldn't see that changing if the boy intended to emulate his father. Provided of course that Vegeta was around to teach their son how to be a socially inept talker, Bulma thought, looking over at the Saiyan in question from the corner of her eye. 

"Is there something you want to say, Woman?" She kept stealing glanced at him and it was really starting to freak him out. Was she up to something? Some plan to make him stay here on Earth rather than continue his training in space? She wouldn't dare, would she?

"Well first, don't call me woman! Secondly no, there isn't anything I want to say to you..for the moment."

Smirking Vegeta led the way to the open hanger, the ship waiting outside for him to climb in and blast off into space. The woman had felt the need to add all sorts of things to it and Vegeta figured he'd be jettisoning plenty of it into space as soon as he got the chance. Women and clutter. One tended to go hand in hand with the other.

Seeing the ship Trunks began to squirm, knowing that that usually meant he would be leaving his mommy's arms to lay in his carrier which wasn't nearly as warm and comfortable. Plus, the ship made a lot of noise and his sensitive ears didn't like that either.

"There there, it's all right. And don't you roll your eyes at me like that, Vegeta." Rocking her fretful son Bulma made soothing noises, giving Vegeta a dark look for rolling his eyes at what he considered babying. Well of course it was babying, she thought as she stuck out her tongue at him. Trunks was a baby after all.

"I'll roll my eyes if I want to."

"Now who's being childish?"

* * *

His turn to give the dark look Vegeta pointedly ignored her as he pulled out the device needed to open the ship's door, the hatch opening without a sound to emit its passengers. Since he knew talking her out of it was impossible Vegeta let her get in, looking everything over one last time while Trunks sat on the floor, fiddling with the laces on his father's boots while Vegeta watched him from above, tolerating it for the moment, since the boy had yet to figure out how to actually undo the laces Vegeta had taken to double knotting for this very reason. "Are you done yet?" He asked, tiring of standing still after only a couple minutes. 

"Nearly done." Was her response from the cockpit.

Hearing the definite sound of tinkering Vegeta let out a deep huff, leaning down to reluctantly scoop up his son, gingerly holding him the way he'd seen Bulma do a thousand times. Unfortunately he wasn't allowed to leave the baby by himself. Vegeta had learned that the hard way. Walking over to the baby carrier Bulma had left inside by mistake Vegeta quickly had his son secured in it which caused Trunks to frown mightily up at him, not appreciating the change in scenery at all. Just to be safe Vegeta set the carrier on the floor and giving his son his set of house keys to play with went off to stop Bulma from whatever it was she was doing.

Lifting her head at the sound of his arrival Bulma gave him a fierce look at the sight of him sans their infant son. "Where's Trunks?" Getting to her feet her expression said there was going to be hell to pay if she didn't like his answer.

"He's stuck in his carrier, playing with my keys." Used to this response Vegeta could understand why women were considered at their most dangerous when it came to protecting their children. Whatever the species, they seem to instinctively try to tear you to shreds if you messed with their babies in any way.

The fiery look receding from Bulma's eyes she decided that was okay, even though she wasn't thrilled about the fact that Vegeta hadn't brought Trunks, carrier and all, with him. "I was just making one last adjustment."

"Right." Clearing not buying that excuse Vegeta slid into his seat at the helm, looking over at her pointedly as if to tell her to get her butt out so that he could be on his way.

Taking the hint Bulma tried not to take it too personally. After all, the sooner he left the sooner he was coming back, right? "Did you say good bye to Trunks?"

"Yes." Actually, all he'd done was pat the boy on the head but it wasn't like the kid would have understood a good bye anyway. Trunks was only two months after all and the kid preferred his mother to him anyway. He wouldn't be missed surely and he'd be back soon enough. Hopefully by then the training could begin or at the very least some words would be nice, instead of that nonsensical babbling only Bulma and her mother could understand.

Tempted to make him do it again, just in case he was lying, Bulma decided not to push it. Damn, this was good bye then, Bulma realized, knowing that there was no way she was going to be able to stall him anymore. He was ready to go and there was nothing she could say or do that was going to change that. Taking a deep breath she walked over to stand beside the chair, watching him watch her from his seated position. "Come home safe." Leaning forward she wrapped her arms around his startled neck, nuzzling her cheek against his for a moment in an instinctive show of affection. And need. God but she needed him to come home safe.

* * *

The unexpected physical contact snapped something inside him, Vegeta's body reacting to a need he hadn't allowed to surface in such a long time. Reaching out his own arms wrapped around her waist, yanking her onto his lap as his lips descended to hers, capturing them in a fierce kiss that threatened to consume her with its all consuming intensity. Shifting in his lap so that she was straddling him Bulma gave back as good as she got, starving for the taste of him as her nails dug into the tough, muscular shoulders that strained in reaction to her frantic touch. His left hand moved to cup her rear while his other slide under and up her shirt, Vegeta trailed his fingers along her spine in a way that had her arching closer, shuddering at the slow, sweeping caress of those calloused fingers. Unable to get close enough, to taste and feel all that had been denied them for so long the air was thick with desperate needs and gasps for breath in between drawn out shudders and moans. No words were spoken, none were needed as they moved restless against one another, unable to break physical contact as their mouths and tongues acted out what their bodies longed to do but were as yet denied. 

Lips moving from her swollen lips to her neck Vegeta fought for control as he kissed a wet trail down her shivering flesh, hungry for the taste, the scent, the shape that was hers and hers alone. Want her? No, it was far beyond that by now. He needed her now. Needed her the way he needed air to breath and food to eat. He couldn't imagine not needing her anymore. At the moment, he couldn't think why he'd ever thought that was a bad thing. Now all his thoughts were for her and having her as much as possible before he left, before he had to go without her for however long it took to become man enough to be both her lover and the Saiyan he had to be.

"Vegeta." His name all her brain could manage to come up with Bulma moved restless against him, straining for more even as she wished for it to never stop.

Burying his face against her neck for a moment Vegeta inhaled the scent of her damp skin against his face, taking a moment to get himself under control, knowing what he had to do even as he fought against it. This was not the time, this was not the place. Pulling his head away he looked up and into her eyes, watching their beautiful blue depths meet his own as they struggled to focus. "I have to go." He said simply, his breathing slowly returning to normal, the hand against her back becoming a long, slow sliding up and down her back in an almost soothing gesture. "You need to go and get Trunks and see me off."

Ducking her head so that he couldn't see her eyes as she got herself under control Bulma took some slow, calming breaths of her own. then slowly slide off his lap, standing in front of him with her head held high, tears she refused to shed in her eyes. "You'll be back soon?"

"I promise."


	20. From Loving to Home

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but my original characters and the situations I put them in. Everything else belongs to somebody else and that's just the way it's going to stay until someone buys me the rights or I take over the world with my insaneness. Either way, thanks so much for reading and have an awesome day!

From Loving to Home

Vegeta was close, he could feel it in every fiber of his being. He'd been in space for months, slowly drawing closer and closer to his goal at a steady but sometimes agonizing speed. He could reach the state of Super Saiyan, he'd proven that only a couples days ago. Now he had to learn how to maintain it for more than a second and without nearly killing himself in the process. It would be serious irony, if he figured it all out now and than died shortly there after because he couldn't control it. Bulma would probably say it was divine justice.

So far he could only hold onto the form for seconds, he would not return until he had mastered it. Weary and exhausted Vegeta sat down on his bunk, intending to get a few hours sleep before beginning his training once more when a blinking light catching his eye. Vegeta looked at it, a small smile playing across his face before it disappeared behind his usual mask of indifference when it came to his latest human related trial. The woman had gone and set him another video of some kind.

For some reason Bulma, stupid woman that she was, felt the need to document every waking moment of their son's life and he was getting used to coming in to find data sent from earth, usually containing video footage as well as commentary and e-mails from Bulma. Why she thought he cared that Trunks liked carrots, or preferred her bear to Gohan's gift duck was beyond him. Getting to his feet Vegeta walked over and taking a seat at the desk accessed the file. Noting the smallness of the video file this time Vegeta raised an eyebrow, wondering why she'd sent him anything that couldn't be more a minute at most. Clicking on it Vegeta watched the video screen pop up on his screen, the image black, then there was his son, sitting up in front of the camera, wearing the most cutesy, hideous outfit Vegeta had ever seen. It looked like his son was dressed up as a teddy bear. A pink and yellow teddy bear. By Kami...

"Hi, Daddy!" Came Bulma's voice, disguised so that apparently she wanted him to think Trunks, who had yet to open his mouth, was saying it. "Look what Mommy dressed me in! I don't like it at all because it's very girlie and unmanly and any good Saiyan would die of shame having to wear it. So you better come home soon, Daddy, otherwise she says she's going to dress me up like a piggy! Hurry back, Daddy!"  
As if on cue Trunks made a disgusted face and then the screen went blank once more.

Chuckling Vegeta shook his head at the woman's foolishness and made a note to e-mail her tomorrow telling her that if she ever thought of putting his son in something like that again he was going to tear apart her wardrobe. That would put the fear of the gods in her. Or maybe not, since she could easily replace everything he trashed with annoying ease. He'd have to come up with something better, something really insidious that would keep her worrying and fuming until he got back. It was plans like this that made him eager to return to Earth.

)

The house was dark when he entered it, letting himself in without alerting the other occupants to his presence. The fact that the security codes hadn't changed since he left was either a concession to Dr. Brief's scatterbrainess or a way of them insuring he could get in whenever he got back. Vegeta decided to think it was probably a little bit of both and made a mental note to get them to change it come morning. For now he'd ignore the stupidity of it all. Heading up the stairs, careful not to make a sound, Vegeta paused only briefly, to look at some of the new pictures hanging on the wall that featured his son in them. Some of the outfits they'd put the boy in while he was away. And people called him a sadist, ha.

Once at the top of the stairs he headed directly for the room that had been designated as his son's, a nursery they'd called it. As stupid name for a room, but than naming a room to begin with was sort of stupid too. Of course he blew up rooms rather than lived in them, so maybe he was a little biased in that regard. They were usually all rubble once he was done with them and that's the way he liked it. And how he got on stupid topics like this was beyond him. He'd only been back on Earth for ten minutes and already he felt himslf getting dumber. Shaking his head at the thought of his decreasing intelligence he opened the nursery door and slid inside, closing it softly behind him. Looking around he visibly winced at all the cutesy, girlie, downright wrong paraphernalia scattered throughout the room. It was painted a sky blue with white accessories, but it was hard to tell because all available space was covered with stuff. The stuff had stuff, that was how bad it was. Vegeta severely doubted that even a tenth of the things in the room had a logical and useful function. The women were shopping menaces. It was a wonder the world's merchants hadn't erected shrines to the Briefs women, in thanks of their support and patronage.

Walking over to stand in front of the crib Vegeta looked down and had to wince again. His son was sleeping with what looked like a stuffed purple elephant. An elephant for Christ sakes. At least the damn bear was a vicious predator in real life, but an elephant? The stupid things were huge, dumb giants who were so stupid they were afraid of mice. What was the woman thinking, giving his son such a stupid animal for a sleeping partner. Reaching down with the intent to pull the elephant from his son's grasp, Vegeta was mildly surprised and pleased at the firm grip the little Saiyan had on it. In fact, Vegeta was pretty sure that he wasn't going to be able to get it away from Trunks unless he was willing to wake the boy up in the process, something he certainly did not want to do. Disgruntled but resign, Vegeta figured one more night couldn't hurt. He'd dispense with the elephant in the morning. Use it and all its little stuffed animal friends for target practice.

Pleased at the thought Vegeta turned his attention back to his son, looking him over for any sign of the sort of man the boy was being trained to be. At least he wasn't wearing a goofy outfit, maybe the woman had just been putting him in those for the pictures and recordings she'd sent him. She was that evil, Vegeta acknowledged, though she had a ways to go before she could hope to compete with him there. He'd get her back and good. Something to look forward to after the demise of the purple menace. Cheered Vegeta went back to his survey, noting that his son seemed to be healthy enough, with good color in his plump cheeks and a scowl on his face, a definite Saiyan feature. Over all, the woman and he did good work, at least on the outside. The truth of his son's limitations and abilities would come later, once he was old enough to be trained. Boy were he and Bulma going to go at each other than. And speaking of the little woman...

Absently tucking the baby's blanket more securely into place, Vegeta gently placed the pads of his fingers on his son's cheek, a fleeting carress before he left as quietly as he'd come moments before. Once again shutting the door carefully, Vegeta silently made his way to the next room over and let himself into Bulma's bed room, again without a sound.

)

With a predator's grace Vegeta made his way across the room to the large, four poster bed where Bulma lay, curled up on her side with her head turned to face her dresser. Towards the baby monitor thing, Vegeta noticed, knowing that she took it everywhere with her when Trunks was sleeping and not in the same room. Apparently that hadn't changed, even though the boy was no human infant, constantly crying and needing attention like some pathetic little girl. Saiyans did not cry and they did not need their mothers fussing over them, giving them complexes like that little brat Gohan had. His son would be a momma's boy over his dead, Saiyan body. The baby monitors could join the elephant tomorrow. His homecoming was going to be busier than he'd previously anticipated.

A soft sound had his attention returning to the present, and Vegeta's attention once again returned to the still figure upon the bed. Walking the rest of the way necessary Vegeta sat down on the side of the bed, looking her over as he had done to their son earlier. She'd lost the extra weight she'd gained, but her breasts were still bigger than usual, a definite bonus as far as he was concerned. Perhaps she was still breastfeeding. As he liked to think of the pair as his sole property he didn't much care for the idea of sharing them, even with his son for a limited basis. But Bulma had said something about breast milk making babies stronger than formula, and being a woman she would know those sorts of things. Or she could have been lying, just to annoy him, but he had no way of finding out that wouldn't take valuable time and effort that could be spent elsewhere. So he'd just have to put up with it, for the sake of Trunks, who'd need all the help he could get getting over his human D.N.A.

Otherwise she looked the same, though she did look a little worn around the edges. Working too hard probably. Oh well, her work load was going to increase even more with him back, but he'd make an effort to go easy on her until he got bored. Come to think of it, with all the months he'd been gone she must have stockpiled new toys for him to break in. Sweet. If he'd been anyone other than himself, he'd be rubbing his hands together in maniacal glee.

"Do I want to know what you're thinking?"

Raising an eyebrow, since he hadn't noticed her eyes opening, Vegeta was surprised that he'd woken her up, much less that she was already aware enough to pick up his present mood.

Propping herself up on her pillows Bulma sat up facing him, mentally cursing the fact that her hair was a mess, her room was a mess, and worst of all, she wasn't wearing anything remotely becoming. The plain sleep shirt didn't even show off her boobs well, and they were so annoying it didn't seem fair that they weren't finally earning their keep in a way that didn't involve Trunks latching onto them like a vaccum cleaner.

"No, you probably don't want to know what I was thinking." Vegeta answered, not wanting her to lock up his new toys before he'd gotten a chance to see and possibly break them. And really, what kind of the welcome home was this? Where was the replay of his send off?

Knowing him well enough to know she probably didn't want to know Bulma decided dropping the question was the best course to preserving her sanity. "Did you see him?"

Knowing who she meant Vegeta nodded.

Rolling her eyes Bulma thought about drawing out Vegeta's opinion of her pride and joy but didn't see the point. Vegeta could think Trunks was the greatest thing since the Saiyan race and would never say so. Well okay, maybe that was a stretch...Vegeta might say that after the kid became a Super Saiyan. Preferably before Gohan. And speaking of Super Saiyans...

"So you managed it, huh?"

The grin that spread across Vegeta's face couldn't quite be called happy, but it was as close as a true Saiyan would ever get to physically showing an emotion similar to that. "As if there was ever any doubt." Though there had been, constantly, for longer than he cared to think about. But in the end, though he'd never tell her so, Bulma's prediction had proved correct. Achieving the status he'd craved had become possible, when he'd considered himself to be at his very weakest. His weakness it seemed, had forged in him the strength he'd always sought. Not that he'd ever admit it. Ever.

"I'm happy for you." Smiling too Bulma really was. Of course this meant her job of keeping him in line was going to get much harder, but than hard and Vegeta tended to go together. Good thing she'd stockpiled things for him to blow up, anticipating just that. All her beautiful creations would be dead within the week. Too bad insurance didn't cover Saiyan warriors playing with new, recently discovered talents. "So is it as great as you thought it would be?"

"I haven't mastered it completely yet...but yes, it's...very satisfying." It was an enormous accomplishment, one that every Saiyan male strove to achieve with every breath he took until the day he died. And yet, more than that pride, it was his wish to return here that had pushed him harder than he'd ever pushed himself before. As ecstatic and happy as he'd been when he pulled it off, it hadn't been nearly as satisfying as sitting her now, being here, with her, and able to tell her what he'd accomplished, knowing she'd be proud of him. Worried, but proud, Vegeta amended with an inner grin, knowing she was probably already visualizing the destruction he could now wrought on an even greater level than before.

"So what's the next challenge you're going to set for yourself? Or is that soemthing else I just don't want to know."

"Preparing Trunks to take his place as a true and worthy Saiyan prince."

"Yup, I didn't want to know." Laughing softly as she said it Bulma could only imagine the fights ahead. It was going to be something to see. She might have to up their insurance levels and get insured by multiple companies, if that was legal. But she'd think about that later. For now, her men were home and safe, that was all that mattered. Stifling a yawn with the back of her hand Bulma smiled at him apologetically. "Long day. So you want to get in here and get some sleep too? You can show me how you look as a blonde in the morning."

Tugging off his boots and shirt by way of answering Vegeta left them on her floor and joined Bulma under the covers. Once settled in Vegeta gave her questioning look as she snuggled back under the covers. "So this is my home coming huh?"

"Well if you'd let me know you were coming we could have had a party." Was her smiling response, deliberately playing obtuse. Vegeta would rather be chained to Goku than go to a party, even his own party. Hell, even a hunting party wouldn't interest him overly unless what they were hunting was of killing interest for someone like Vegeta.

"Please." Sneering the word it was obvious Vegeta didn't find that nearly as funny as she did.

"Is that a show of sarcasm or are you asking me to have sex with you?"

Vegeta could literally feel a familiar twitch beginning to pulsate under her right eye. Why exactly had he missed this? The air in space must have acted as a drug and made him hallucinate. No Saiyan in his right mind would chose to live with this.

Biting back a snicker Bulma couldn't help it. She'd gone nearly a year without fighting with him, she'd been going through withdrawal. Doing her best not to grin too widely, better to start him off small before going back to her full blown bitchiness, Bulma turned over, shifting so that she could lay her head on his chest. Patting those muscled abs of his Bulma did her best not to laugh at the scowl he aimed her way. "Hey, you only got together with me for the sex, not my personality, remember?"

"Well that goes without saying." Was his sarcastic reply.

"I really am glad you're back."

"You just missed the sex."

"Well that goes without saying."

After what was a long, drawn out pause, Vegeta wrapped his arms around her, and prepared to go to sleep with her snuggled against his side. "I'm glad to be back with you too."

"Welcome home."

The End

* * *

Sorry to end it there, but if I didn't, it would never be finished. I haven't watched the show in half a decade, and don't plan to change that. I hope this ending will appease, and end what was an enjoyable fic. Thanks for waiting, I hope you enjoyed.


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